


Mustering Happiness

by Kiuolo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Police, Community: sasunaru_kink, Crimes & Criminals, Kink Meme, M/M, Police, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-05-11
Updated: 2011-10-10
Packaged: 2017-10-19 06:52:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/198134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiuolo/pseuds/Kiuolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When officer Naruto Uzumaki is assigned to the task of helping to bring in the most powerful man in the underground business, Sasuke Uchiha, he promises he will do all he can to bring the guy in. SasuNaru</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto obviously doesn't belong to me, as my name is not Sasu—I mean... er... Masashi Kishimoto. Yeah. That guy.
> 
> Warning: This is unbeta'd! Beware!

The door to an office labeled ' _Tsunade_ ' was abruptly thrown open, causing the few frames on the walls to briefly rattle. The people situated in the room looked unfazed, as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence for them. A blue eyed man was quick to storm in, looking extremely miffed.

"Geeze, Granny! What the hell did you call us all here for? I'll have you know, you interrupted my dinner at Ichiraku with Iruka-sensei! I didn't even get to eat one bowl of ramen!" Naruto complained, looking close to tears. In his mind's eye, he could see and practically _smell_ the enticing deliciousness that was his favorite food. It seemed to dance just out of reach, further frustrating the blond.

"Naruto!" Tenten, a weapons specialist, scolded, her voice coming from somewhere behind him. Naruto didn't bother to look, as he was too absorbed with the glaring match going on between himself and the busty Konoha chief of police.

Shikamaru, their resident genius, merely sighed.

"Shut up! Hag, Iruka-sensei was even going to treat me, and—"

" _Quiet_!" Tsunade commanded, abruptly standing up and roughly banging her fists on the desk before her. The chair she had been sitting on flew into the wall behind her, causing an ominous _thud_ to echo throughout the room.

Naruto promptly shut his mouth.

"Now that everyone is here and _listening_ ," Tsunade threw a quick glare towards the cowering Naruto, "I'll begin. Naruto, Shikamaru, Tenten... You're all here today for a very important reason."

The blonde woman looked at them each in turn, causing varied reactions. Naruto puffed out his chest, suddenly feeling excited to learn about what it was that was so important he had to be called in while he was on break. Shikamaru shifted warily in his chair, knowing he probably wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. Tenten merely looked curious, her eyes shifting from person to person.

"Hyuuga?" Tsunade called, briefly looking over her shoulder as she said the name. Almost immediately, a person seemed to materialize from the shadows, carefully stepping forward.

Naruto paused a moment to gape at the stranger with the curiously empty eyes before exclaiming, "What? How did you—"

"This," the chief of police interrupted, "is Neji Hyuuga. With his help, I believe we will be able to bring in Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha?" Shikamaru said, abruptly cutting in. The mention of the names caused him to sit up straight, looking suspiciously between Tsunade and the newly introduced Neji, "As in, the presidents of Uchiha Inc. _Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha_?"

"You know them?" Tsunade commented wryly.

"Who's that?" Naruto demanded, stepping forward. He hated being out of the loop.

"You don't _know_?" Tenten suddenly exclaimed, looking at the blond idiot with her mouth agape. "Have you been living under a rock your whole life? They're _only_ some of the most influential people around! And you...! You...!" She shook her head, frustrated. "But I don't get it. What do they have to do with anything...?"

"Yes..." Shikamaru spoke, his words slow and deliberate, "What _do_ the Uchihas have to do with anything?"

Tsunade sighed. Everything was quiet for a moment. Then, the woman started to pace behind her desk. "Lately," she began, "there have been one or two reports that the Uchihas have been involved in some less than honorable dealings. Hell, there have been whispers of things going on for _years_ , but we've never had any solid evidence. However, Hyuuga..." she smirked, gesturing towards the quiet man, "might just be able to change all of that."

"Hmm..." Naruto spoke, crossing his arms and donning an expression of deep thought, "Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" He nodded to himself. "Well, Granny, you don't have to worry! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will definitely bring those guys to justice! Heh, I don't even know why you have these other people here, when it's obvious that I'm the only one needed to bring them in. Single-handedly, I—"

" _Silence_!"

The sudden quiet was almost deafening. Tsunade was an intimidating woman.

Suddenly, Neji folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, sending a patronizing look towards the group in front of him. " _These_ are the people you're sending? They're going to end up dead in a back alley somewhere."

Naruto bristled. "Hey! What the fuck did you say, you—"

"I thought I told you to be quiet, brat," Tsunade hissed, her voice deadly. If looks could kill...

The blond gulped.

"Hyuuga, you have my utmost assurances that these three are some of the best cops there are. If there's anyone that can catch the Uchihas, it's them."

The three in question looked mildly embarrassed at the praise. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Granny..." He mumbled, resisting the urge to blush.

Tsunade moved to pick up her chair from where it had previously crashed into the wall. Thankfully, it was still in one piece, which was more than could be said about other chairs she had been sitting on while she was angry. She put it back in its place before plopping down with a content sigh. "Hyuuga," she commanded, "I'd like for you to tell these three everything that you told me. Leave nothing out." Anticipating the long conversation to come, the woman reached into one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a sizable bottle of sake.

For the first time since he had appeared, Neji looked nervous. "Ah... Tsunade-sama... That is... You are sure that this room is secure, right?"

"Yes," the woman emphasized, downing a gulp of her favorite drink. "As if I would let anyone bug _my_ office..." she mumbled harshly, absentmindedly watching her sake as it swished back and forth in the clear bottle.

"Right..." Neji mumbled, shaking his head. He turned to face the small group before him, his cool expression naturally falling back into place. "As you may have guessed from my name, I am a branch member of the Hyuuga clan. It is my fate to watch over the members of the main family and make sure that no harm comes to them."

"Fate...?" Naruto spoke, seeming to test the term on his tongue. He had never liked that word. His brow furrowed. Tenten shushed him.

Ignoring the exchange, Neji continued on, "For generations, the Hyuuga and Uchiha businesses have been... associates, of sorts. At the best of times, we were partners. At the worst, we were enemies. However, it never truly mattered, as we were always on equal footing with each other. No matter what, it was always impossible for one business to completely outdo the other. Most of the time, this caused a lot of frustration on both ends, but, simply put, it worked. However, in the past decade or so, something has changed. At first, everyone thought it was just a brief acquisition of power. It was believed that it would pass or that we would be quick to catch up. However..."

"You're not asking us to look into them just because your family is jealous of their sudden power, are you?" Whether it was a question or a statement was hard to tell. Shikamaru's calculating gaze never wavered from Neji's form. The fact that the lazy genius had spoke up at all was mildly surprising.

"Of course not," Neji scoffed, "I care not for such matters. As I have already said, it is simply my job to watch over the well-being of the main family."

"Just clearing that up," Shikamaru stated, a small smirk appearing on his otherwise impassive features. "Please, continue."

"The Uchihas are an extremely secretive family," the brunet continued, seemingly needing no other preamble, "It was this, coupled with the fact that the head of my family, Hiashi Hyuuga, was growing frustrated with the current state of affairs that we decided to investigate a few matters. A week ago, we were finally able to get some information. My father..." Neji took a deep breath, "My father, Hizashi Hyuuga, found evidence—important documents and pictures—that proved the Uchiha family has strong connections with the criminal organizations Akatsuki and Sound."

" _What_?" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes bugging. He could hardly believe his ears! "Akatsuki _and_ Sound? But they're...! They're...!"

Tenten gaped. "Neji-san, you're _sure_...?"

Shikamaru merely stared. "That's a serious accusation to make," he warned, "You've brought these documents with you to show us, haven't you?"

"Unfortunately, doing such a thing is now impossible. The night that my father acquired them, he was murdered. The documents were stolen. I assume they've been disposed of." Neji looked determinedly at the ground, unwilling to publicly display his grief to a group of people he hardly knew.

"We were unable to find any evidence at the scene," Tsunade said, speaking up for the first time since Neji had started telling his story. She sighed. "It's obvious it was a planned murder. It was too perfect. There were five stab wounds on the victim's body. Three to the chest and two to the abdomen. One was delivered just below the clavicle and to the left of the sternum. The victim's heart was pierced. The bastard—whoever he was—knew what he was doing." She took another swig of her sake.

Neji paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Yes," he agreed. "The attacker wasn't an average thug. Not to mention how easily he bypassed all of our security..." He sounded frustrated, and with good reason.

"Wait a second!" Naruto spoke up, throwing his hand in the air to further emphasize his words, "I know I'm not the best at keeping up with boring stuff like current events, but I do pay attention to the news _sometimes_ , and I haven't heard anything about a murder!"

"They're making sure all of the news outlets stay quiet," Shikamaru said, his eyes widening as the revelation struck him.

"Exactly," Neji confirmed, voice grim.

"Che. This is starting to sound more and more troublesome..."

Naruto closed his eyes and folded his arms, his harried brain trying to take in all of the information he had been given. He had never been much of a deep thinker—he usually left that to Shikamaru—but even he realized that a little bit of contemplation was probably in order if he was going to try and do something about the Uchihas. Now, if only it didn't make his brain hurt so damned much...

"And now, on top of everything else, there are report that the Uchihas are planning to buy us out," Neji gritted his teeth, "I told you that they have surpassed us in money and status, but they shouldn't have enough to completely buy out Hyuuga Enterprises. It's not possible. But they... they..." the brunet trailed off, frustration seeming to seep out of his very core.

Then, to the surprise of everyone in the room, the obviously proud man bowed his head.

"Please," the pale eyed man begged, "help us."

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, Tenten spoke. "Neji-san, please raise your head."

Neji did so, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

Naruto, Tenten, and Shikamaru stood proudly, their bodies seeming to ooze confidence. Tenten was the first to speak.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Neji! I can call you Neji, right?"

"Tenten's right!" Naruto proclaimed, stepping forward and slapping the stupefied Neji on the back, "We just have to prove everything you've told us, right? Then, when we bring them in, your family will be safe and sound! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will definitely be the one to bring these guys to justice!"

"Geeze. It seems I'm being dragged into a troublesome situation again. I guess I can help out." Despite his words, Shikamaru was grinning.

And, for the first time since his father had died, Neji found himself genuinely believing that maybe... just _maybe_ everything would turn out okay.

Tsunade smiled.

"All right, you three!" The busty blonde spoke, her voice commanding, "Now you all know the situation. I want to see Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha in handcuffs as soon as possible. And, of course, be sure to keep a lookout for any information on Akatsuki and Sound. Now, Hyuuga? I believe you mentioned something about a plan earlier..."

\---

"Ouch! Sakura-chan, I— _Ow_! Sakura-chan, I don't want to be bald by the time this is all over!"

"Well, maybe next time you'll _think_ before not combing your hair for a month! God, Naruto, I've seen bird's nests more orderly than your hair!" the green eyed girl scolded, viciously tugging at the yellow locks in front of her to further emphasize her point. Naruto winced.

"But Sakura-chan...!" Naruto whined. "I've been busy! And it's not my fault I suddenly have to go to this stupid ball thing! It's all that Neji's fault! His plans are horrible, Sakura-chan! Horrible! Why, I—"

"Oh, shut up," Sakura interrupted, purposefully yanking the comb in her hand harder than necessary in order to force the blond to comply with her demand, "From the sounds of it, you're actually pretty well off. It's Tenten I feel sorry for. All _you_ have to do is sit there and make sure nothing happens. Don't complain. I _wish_ I could go to a party like the one you're going to tonight!" The pink haired girl's eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle.

"Hmph. I don't see what's so great about watching a bunch of stuck-up snobs brag about how much money they have."

" _Naruto_ ," Sakura warned, her voice and expression deadly. "Don't you dare ruin my fantasy for me."

"Okay! Geeze. I was just _saying_ , is all..." Naruto pouted, "Besides, you have a husband, you know! Does the name 'Lee' ring any bells? You shouldn't be fantasizing about anything!"

"I'm telling you this because you're my dear childhood friend, Naruto," Sakura's voice was cheerful. Too cheerful. "Be quiet before I rip out your spleen and feed it to my son's pet slug."

Naruto gulped. Could slugs even eat spleens? He didn't want to find out...

"Now, then," Sakura said happily, taking a step back to admire her handy work. "I think that's as good as your hair is going to get. Go and change into your tuxedo."

The blond haired man grumbled to himself a bit, but went to do as he was told. A few minutes later, he emerged from his room, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Sakura-chan, this suit is all stuffy and itchy! Why do people wear these things?" Naruto complained. Why would anyone willingly suffer through this kind of torture?

"What are you talking about? You look nice! Now, stop slouching!" Sakura said, striding over and smacking her friend's arm, causing him to wince.

"Ow..."

"Alright! This Neji guy is coming to get you soon, right?" The pink haired woman asked, picking up the comb from before to make a few last-minute adjustments to her friend's appearance.

Naruto stayed still and let her, knowing it was better not to argue. "Yeah. Right after he picks up Shikamaru," he replied, glancing at the clock. "He should be here any minute."

"I see."

For a few moments, there was the quiet lull of companionable silence. Then, Sakura spoke up.

"Naruto..." She paused, suddenly feeling unsure. Then, she shook her head before determinedly trudging on. "You'll be careful, right? I know this is your job, and that you're a professional, but... If things get too bad, you'll cut your losses and make sure you're safe, won't you?"

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto replied, touched, "You do care about me!"

"That is..." Sakura mumbled out, slightly embarrassed, "Of course I do. If you were gone, who else would I use as a punching bag?" She smacked him on the back, just because she could.

"Lee?" Naruto suggested.

She smacked him again.

The blond winced. That was going to bruise...

"But..." Sakura looked down, deep in thought, "I _am_ worried. I may not know all of the details of your mission, but the Uchihas are a powerful family. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry! I'll be fine. It'll take more than a pair of rich bastards to hurt _me_!"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the chiming of the doorbell.

Naruto jumped at the sound. "That's probably them," he groaned. He _really_ didn't want to go to this party...

"I'll clean up this mess and lock up your apartment for you," Sakura promised, already moving to gather up the various beauty supplies she had brought with her on her visit.

"Thanks," Naruto grinned. The ringing was starting to become more persistent, signaling that the person on the other side was probably getting annoyed with how slow he was going. "I'm coming!" he exclaimed, moving for the door. Just as he was opening it, he turned back and called, "Bye, Sakura-chan!" before stepping out of his apartment and closing the door.

Sakura looked at the spot her friend had been standing in only moments before. She had a bad feeling, deep in her gut. It made her want to squirm.

It was then that she realized Naruto hadn't promised her that he would be careful.

\---

"Wow! I've never been in a limo before!" Naruto revealed, eyes bugging as he took in the interior of the vehicle. Around him, Neji, Tenten, and Shikamaru sat, looking contemplative as they considered what they were about to try and pull off. Naruto ran his hands over the leather seats, awed. "Do you ride in these things all the time, Neji?"

The brunet, for his part, looked relatively unruffled. "Sometimes," he dismissed. "Now, you all know what you need to do, right? It won't be long before we arrive, and it is my greatest wish that we go in to this with as much preparation as possible. I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied, looking bored, "We go in there, let Tenten work her magic, get some evidence, then go home." They'd gone over this a billion times!

"Don't you understand?" Neji demanded, extremely irritated at the blond's flippant remark. "If you're not careful, you could get killed!"

Shikamaru, who had been looking out the window and watching the scenery speed by as he thought, turned to look at his friend, annoyed. "He's right, Naruto. Please, be serious." He leaned back into his seat.

"I am!" Naruto defended. "I gave my word that I would help Neji protect his family, and that's what I'm going to do! I don't break my promises!" He folded his arms, feeling petulant.

"Guys," Tenten finally spoke, her voice having a distinctly panicked edge to it. Everyone turned to look at her, and, for the first time since he had entered the vehicle, Naruto got a good look at her.

He started laughing. "Tenten," Naruto somehow managed between laughs, "What are you _wearing_?"

Indeed, the normally tomboyish girl seemed to have undergone a complete makeover. Her normal white blouse with red trim and wine-red pants was replaced with a high collared, deep red dress that seemed to reference the Chinese culture. Naruto had to admit that it suited her, but to see the feminist woman in a dress was something he would likely never forget. Or stop teasing her about, for that matter.

"Sh-shut up!" Tenten commanded, embarrassed so badly that she was blushing, "I have to wear this! Since you guys are wanting me to... to..." She seemed unable to continue, growing even more embarrassed as she remembered why she was dressed as she was.

It was all a part of their plan. The party they were going to was being hosted by the Sabaku siblings—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. It was reported that Sasuke Uchiha was going to be attending, and the group decided it would be best to use this to their advantage. Tenten, being the only girl in their gang, was going to seek out the Uchiha while everyone else stood by, subtly watching over her to make sure that nothing was going to go wrong. Tenten was carrying a gun with her and could defend herself, but one could never be too careful. If all went according to plan, Tenten would get close to their target and use her charms to make him drop his guard. Then, things could go one of two ways. Either she would be able to get him to tell her what she wanted to know at the party, or she would do her best to convince him to let her go home with him, where she would try to find some evidence and get out as soon as she could.

It was dangerous, and they realized it would probably take a lot of time and luck for the Uchiha to let his guard down, but they had come prepared. A chip had been implanted on the inside of Tenten's high collar, making it so that they could track wherever she went to. It was equipped with a panic button, so that she could reach up and press it if she found herself in serious trouble. They each had a gun that was fully loaded—provided courtesy of Tenten—and they had no qualms about using them.

Shikamaru would be staying in the limo, surrounded by his specialty equipment and keeping an eye on Tenten's movements while communicating with everyone via the small, hidden microphones they each had in their ears.

Neji was going to be getting them in and was in charge of making sure that the Uchiha and Tenten were able to meet. After that, he would be joining Naruto in their combined job of watching out for the brunette and intervening should anything go horribly wrong.

They had taken all of the precautions that they possibly could, and now they could only follow through with their plan and hope that nothing unexpected happened.

"That's the Sabaku mansion, just up ahead," Neji said, gesturing out the window of the limo. Curious, the three cops looked out and quickly saw the building he was talking about. With its imposing nature and many floors, it was hard to miss.

"Wow..." Naruto mumbled, awed.

Tenten nodded, seemingly at a loss for words.

"You're all ready?" Neji asked.

"Yes," Shikamaru was the one to reply, having just double checked to make sure all of his equipment was probably working and in its place. There was an undeniable air of seriousness about the vehicle. It even seemed to effect Naruto, who suddenly had an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face.

"Well, then," Neji announced as the limo slowed and stopped in front of the main gates to the mansion, "Let's go."

"It's show time!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

\---

The party was, just as Naruto had guessed it would be, _boring_.

The blond man had situated himself firmly by the snack table, resentfully shoving food that probably cost more than what he made in a year into his mouth. Every so often a smartly dressed waiter would walk by with a tray of food, and Naruto would snatch up some of whatever the poor person was carrying, just because he could.

He was so bored. Neji had been forced to abandon him earlier to go and talk to important members of Naruto-didn't-give-a-shit clan, Tenten was still working on getting closer to the Uchiha, who had only arrived a short while ago, and he couldn't exactly talk over the microphone with Shikamaru unless he wanted to look like a loony who spoke to the voices in his head in his spare time. He was already getting enough strange looks, thanks.

Naruto noticed with much relief that Tenten had successfully been able to approach the Uchiha and was currently having an animated, one-sided conversation with the man. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one. The guy was surrounded by a gaggle of girls, each of them trying desperately to get his attention. The blond felt his resentment for the Uchiha grow. He couldn't get a single girl to even consider going out with him, and this guy was surrounded by _how many_...? The bastard!

"It's not going to work."

Naruto let out a small, unmanly scream as the sudden voice broke through his thoughts. Heart beating a mile a minute, he swung around to face the man who had somehow managed to sneak up on him. His eyes were quickly met with a red headed man with green eyes and an intimidating aura. What the fuck? Had this guy somehow manged to learn of their plan? Was he in cahoots with the Uchihas? Oh, God! He looked like a gangster! Was he part of Akatsuki or Sound? Was this man sent here to kill him? Crap, crap, _crap_!

"What are you—" Naruto began to demand, but was cut off.

"Those girls," the emotionless man tilted his head towards the Uchiha or, more specifically, the women surrounding him, "What they want. It's not going to work."

"Huh?" Naruto replied unintelligently.

The redhead sighed and folded his arms across his chest. He sent a look towards the blond that clearly told the other man that he thought he was an idiot. Naruto sputtered in indignation.

"It is widely believed that the Uchiha is asexual," the intimidating man revealed. "But, personally, I think he's just gay."

" _What_?" Naruto shouted. What about their plan? If the Uchiha was actually gay...!

"Yes."

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked, a scowl appearing on his face. This bit of news was just fucking _great_...

The redhead raised a nonexistent eyebrow before closing his eyes and leaning against the wall behind him. "It's just a feeling I get."

Naruto twitched. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Gaara Sabaku." The man, Gaara, tilted his head, "You don't even know the host of the party you're attending?"

"S-Shut up!" Naruto weakly defended, "It's not like I can be expected to know everything! I'm amazing, but I'm not a god!"

"What is your name?" Gaara asked, ignoring the blond's outburst, "It is customary for one to reveal their own name when someone else introduces themselves."

A slight blush dusted Naruto's cheeks. He had been getting around to that... Psh... "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Never heard of you."

"Well, not everyone is filthy stinking rich!"

"Indeed."

"You...!"

"Who are you here with?" Gaara inquired.

Naruto sighed. This guy was so strange... "I'm here with Neji Hyuuga. He's my friend."

"Neji Hyuuga, huh?" Gaara said, no inflection marring his tone. Naruto couldn't help but think it was a little creepy. Did this guy not like Neji, or...?

"Yeah..." the blond replied, uncertain.

"I see," the intimidating man spoke, kicking off the wall he was leaning on. Seemingly without preamble, he stuck his hands into his tailored suit and started to walk away.

"What the...? Hey! Where are you going?" Naruto called, confused by the man's strange behavior.

"Somewhere," came the vague reply. "Remember what I said... Naruto."

Naruto was confused. Was he talking about what he had first said about the Uchiha being gay...? Oh, crap! That reminded him...

The blond turned back towards the group of girls he had been observing earlier, relieved when he saw that Tenten was still with them, trying to get as much of the Uchiha's attention as she could. Naruto couldn't believe he had allowed himself to be distracted like that! He was here for his job, not to goof off!

"Gay, huh?" Came a lazy voice in his ear.

Naruto almost jumped, but somehow managed to stop himself. He'd forgot about how Shikamaru was listening in with the microphone...

"Er... yeah," Naruto mumbled, well aware that it would look like he was talking to himself to anyone who happened to look his way. He had to be discreet... discreet...

"Well, Tenten hasn't been having any luck. Why don't you try?" Shikamaru suggested through the ear bud in the blond's ear.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Screw being discreet! He ignored the strange looks he was being sent.

Naruto heard Shikamaru sigh, "Well, it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Listen, Shika, if you think I'm going to—" Naruto began to growl out, but he was cut off.

"Keep your voice down, Naruto. You're going to make me deaf. And yes, I do expect you to at least try to do this. You promised Neji you would do all you could to bring in the Uchihas, and the Naruto I know doesn't go back on his word."

The blond knew his friend was goading him, _tricking_ him into agreeing with his stupid idea, but he couldn't help but rise to the bait. Shikamaru had always been good at using his pride against him.

"Fine, Shika! _Fine_. But it's only so that I can show you how completely and utterly wrong you are!" Naruto snapped.

"Good," came the reply. Naruto could practically hear the smirk in his friend's voice. "I'll tell everyone about the slight change of plans. Just be careful."

"I know, I know..." Naruto grumbled in reply. He sent a fierce glare towards a few of the people who were looking at him funny, causing them to look away. He grinned at this, feeling victorious.

The blond glanced back over at Tenten and the Uchiha and saw his chance. Almost as if on cue, the man excused himself from the group of girls giggling around him and headed out towards one of the balconies, presumably to get some fresh air.

Knowing that this was probably going to be the best opportunity he'd ever get, Naruto casually followed after the retreating figure, all the while acting as if he was wanting some fresh air, as well. Well, it _was_ getting stuffy in the ballroom...

The cold night hair hit Naruto's face with a slight _whoosh_ , and the blond paused a moment to revel in the feeling. He didn't even realize how hot it had been getting inside... It was probably because of all of the people.

Naruto glanced around, doing his best to look casual. His eyes were quickly met with intimidatingly broad, tensed shoulders and the back of some dark hair that vaguely resembled a duck's butt. He had found his target. Sasuke Uchiha.

The blue eyed man repressed the urge to shiver in revulsion as he remembered what he had come here to do. Bleh... He was straight, damn it! He made _rulers_ jealous! Why did he have to do this...?

Seeming to sense he was being stared at, the Uchiha— _Sasuke_ , Naruto reminded himself—turned his head slightly to look at the other man. Blue eyes met dark eyes, and Naruto found his breath hitching at the sight of them. He didn't know it was possible to have black eyes... Sasuke remained expressionless. The dark haired man looked away, seeming to dismiss him.

Naruto blinked.

…

Damn it! He really, really _was_ straight! Really! This guy... he just had a really fucking girly face. Yeah. It had _confused_ him...

Remembering what he was here to do, Naruto walked determinedly towards the other man and leaned against the balcony next to him. Now, he just had to think like a homosexual... Homosexual thoughts... homosexual thoughts...

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked coldly, snapping the blond back to attention.

Naruto felt his temper briefly flare at the other's tone, but squashed the feeling. He had something he needed to do...

Naruto fluttered his eyelashes.

Hey, if he was going to be doing this, then he might as well go all out.

"It was getting so stuffy in there... I figured I'd come out here and get some fresh air. I didn't know someone else would have the same idea as me." Naruto did his best to keep his voice as silky smooth as he could, feeling a bit stupid as he did so.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might have wanted to be alone, idiot? I don't want to hang out with some fucking stalker fanboy. Go away." The Uchiha's voice was cold and harsh.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"But..." he replied, a little surprised at how nicely that came out considering the anger that was suddenly raging inside him.

"'But' nothing. Or are you deaf, too? Deaf _and_ an idiot. Great."

Oh, that was it.

" _Bastard_!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to stop the sudden surge of anger at the other's words, "If anyone's stupid, it's you! You should feel honored to have the amazing Naruto Uzumaki talking to you! Of course, it's probably hard to feel anything other than pain because of that ten foot pole you have shoved up your ass!"

"What did you say to me?" Sasuke asked, his voice dark. His posture suddenly became threatening and he wasted no time in advancing towards the idiot blond, starting to close the small distance between them.

"You heard me, jer—" Naruto cut himself off, a strange glint catching his eye. His head whipped just to the side of the other man, eyes widening. "Get down!" the blond commanded, tackling Sasuke to the ground before he had time to react.

"Wha—" The dark eyed man's growled question was cut off by the sound of a gun firing. A moment later, a loud _ping_ was heard as the bullet hit the railing next to where the Uchiha had been standing only seconds before.

Screams immediately started to ring out amongst the party guests as people began to panic. Even from his spot on the ground, Naruto could see the pandemonium the noise had caused.

Without hesitation, Sasuke rolled them over to the side a few times just as another shot rang out, this time having hit the spot on the ground where they had both been laying just seconds ago. Then, faster than Naruto's mind could comprehend, the other man was up and ramming into the gunman, knocking him to the ground. There was a brief struggle, and Naruto was just about to jump in and try to help when the Uchiha backed up a bit, holding his opponent's gun up triumphantly. In a flash, he had the cold metal pressed to the gunman's forehead.

Naruto felt a small shiver go through his body at the angered, deadly expression on his dark haired target's face. He wouldn't have blamed the gunman if he'd peed his pants.

"Just who," Sasuke began, his voice strangely emotionless considering the rage on his face, "the _fuck_ do you think you are?"

Naruto strolled up beside them, but didn't get too close. He didn't feel like having the other man's glare directed at him for interrupting.

Whoever this gunman was, Naruto couldn't help but observe, he was pretty good. He looked intimidated, but not nearly as terrified as Naruto would have thought he would be, considering the circumstances. The man had a fucking lunatic holding a gun to his head!

The gunman started to lean his head back a little bit, and Naruto could tell he was about to spit on the Uchiha. The dark haired man was quick to stop that before it even began, however. Using the hand not holding the gun, Sasuke promptly punched the guy in the face.

Naruto heard a crunch. He winced. That had to hurt...

Not willing to just sit by while the man got beaten up, Naruto bravely took a step forward. "Bastard, stop that. You've restrained him. You don't need to do anything else."

The blond half expected the other man to glare at him before telling him to fuck off and mind his own business, so he was surprised by the emotionless glance he was given instead. Sasuke seemed to contemplate Naruto for a moment. Then, to the surprise of everyone who saw, he nodded his head in compliance and reached to bind his opponent's hands behind his back to help keep him from struggling.

"Uchiha-sama," a body guard spoke, seeming to materialize out of no where, "I'll take him from you."

The dark eyed man glared daggers in response. "And just where were you when I was getting _shot at_?"

The poor man looked uncomfortable, "Uchiha-sama... forgive me..."

"You have the nerve to just come over here after you—" Sasuke's furious words were cut off by Naruto, who stepped in, hoping to diffuse the situation.

"Geeze, bastard! Just let it go. You're fine now, aren't you? Give the poor guy a break." Naruto kind of felt bad for the man, having to deal with the Uchiha's bitchiness all of the time.

Once again, the dark haired man sent him a curiously blank stare. "Hn..." he spoke.

"You're just so articulate, aren't you?" Naruto snorted.

Not seeming to bother honoring that with a reply, Sasuke harshly pushed the gunman to his feet and shoved him into the waiting arms of the burly body guard. Naruto watched as the struggling man was dragged off, silently wishing him luck. Whatever the body guard had in store for him before he was sent off to the police probably wasn't pretty.

Almost immediately, Sasuke was surrounded by worried, whimpering girls.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun? Please, speak to me!"

"Sasuke-kuuuun!"

"Sasuke-kun! Oh, Sasuke-kun, I was so scared. When I heard that gunshot..."

"I'm so happy you were able to take out that bad man, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto gaped.

Once again, the bastard had all of the girls swooning over him! Didn't they know it was him who saved their precious 'Sasuke-kun's life? He deserved to be fawned over, too!

Looking annoyed, the Uchiha pushed past the worried girls and headed determinedly for the door. Once again, Naruto's temper flared.

"Oi, bastard! You're just going to leave? Don't you have something to say to me? Like, I don't know, a _thank you_ for saving your sorry hide?"

The girls that Sasuke had abandoned gasped, looking appalled.

"You meanie! How could you say such a thing to Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah! Jerk!"

Naruto had the sudden urge to bang his head against the nearest wall.

The dark haired man in question stopped mid-step, looking back briefly to regard Naruto with blank eyes. Finally, he sighed, his eyes closing briefly in what appeared to be annoyance. "Come with me, idiot."

Glaring all the way, Naruto followed after the man. The bastard had better have something good to repay him with. Like a promise to leave Neji's company alone and ten bowls of miso ramen.

He didn't notice that he was missing the earbud that allowed him to communicate with Shikamaru, the piece of electronic having gotten knocked out of his ear during the scuffle.

\---

As he got into the Uchiha's limo, Naruto felt a slight pang of anxiety. It was then that he began to wonder if it was really the best idea for him to have followed the man he knew was involved with some of the most dangerous gangs in the area into his fucking _limo_. Unfortunately, he had always been known for his impulsiveness...

Well, whatever! If he found himself in a tight spot, he was confident he could get out of it. He had done so in the past, after all. Besides, wasn't this what they had been planning, anyway? They had wanted to infiltrate the Uchiha residence, which was probably where they were going. Though, it had been Tenten who had been assigned to do that... Plus, she had a tracking chip, which he lacked... Damn it.

The sound of the limo door closing with an ominous _thud_ wrenched him from his thoughts.

And there went his escape route. Naruto gulped.

The Uchiha, sitting across from Naruto, cleared his throat, calling for his companion's attention. When the blond was looking at him, he spoke, "I don't believe I properly introduced myself. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. But you already knew that, didn't you? Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened. "How did you know my name...?"

"Idiot. You told me. Remember? You said something along the lines of 'You should feel honored to have the amazing Naruto Uzumaki talking to you!' Hn."

Naruto blinked stupidly. "That's right... Hey, how did you remember that? Do you have some sort of freaky photographic memory or something?"

"It's called having a normal memory, idiot. As opposed to you, who seems to have the memory of a goldfish suffering from amnesia. You're such a dobe." Sasuke smirked, a haughty expression crossing his usually emotionless features.

"What did you say?" Naruto demanded, raising a fist and glaring for all he was worth.

Sasuke was unfazed. "I said you were a dobe. Is your amnesiac goldfish memory failing you again?"

"Bastard!"

"I am amazed at your wit and ingenuity in thinking up comebacks. Please, dazzle me more with your brilliance. Go on."

Naruto growled. "Well, I'd rather be an idiot than a complete asshole!"

"I can tell." Sasuke's smirk deepened.

"What?" Naruto demanded.

"Hn. Dobe."

"Bastard! You want to go? I'll take you on and kick your pretty-boy ass!" Naruto attempted to stand angrily, but seemed to have forgotten about the fact that he was in a car. His head hit the roof of the limo with a painful _thunk_. The blond hissed and rubbed the top of his head. That was probably going to bruise...

Sasuke stared incredulously at the other man for a few, long moments. Then, to Naruto's amazement, the bastard actually _laughed_. Surely this was a sign of the apocalypse. "I would take you up on your offer, but it seems the limo has already got you beat," he taunted once the chuckles had subsided, "I can't believe you actually did that. You really are a dobe."

"You...!"

"Besides, we've arrived," Sasuke pointed out the window.

Naruto looked, eyes widening at the sight before him. This mansion... this _castle_... it was even bigger than the Sabaku place! He hadn't even thought that was possible! He could only gape.

Sasuke smirked, privately pleased with the blond's reaction.

"Well," Sasuke spoke as the door to the limo opened, "shall we go?"

"Hey! Wait! Wait just one second!" Naruto threw his hand in the air, "I'm not going with you until you tell me a few things. Why do you want me to follow you, anyway? For all I know, you could be kidnapping me right now! I swear, bastard, I'll scream. You won't be so smug when the cops get called on your sorry ass!"

"What are you, a girl?" Sasuke snorted.

Naruto sputtered. "I'm not a girl!" he yelled, indignant.

"You're sure acting like one, dobe."

"I'll show you!" Naruto declared. "I'll beat you to your own front door! Then we'll see who's the girl!" The blond jumped out of the open limo door and rushed towards the imposing front steps of the estate.

Sasuke smirked to himself. "That was almost too easy..." he mumbled.

Deciding not to bother himself with the blond's stupid challenge, Sasuke followed him casually and soon caught up with Naruto.

The man was panting after having run up so many stairs just to get to the door, but looked proud of himself. "I beat you, bastard!" he declared.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I never agreed to your stupid challenge, idiot. Now, follow me."

"Wha...? Hey! You're only saying that because you're jealous that I beat you!"

"Hardly. Are you going to follow me or not?"

Naruto grudgingly complied with the request, reminding himself that this was necessary if he wanted to get evidence against the Uchihas. Damn it, he would save Neji and his family if it killed him!

The wide double doors that made up the entrance closed behind him.

Suddenly, Sakura's words from before flashed in his mind.

 _"Naruto... You'll be careful, right? I know this is your job and that you're a professional, but... If things get too bad, you'll cut your losses and make sure you're safe, won't you?"_

Naruto frowned.

 _I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I have to do this,_ he thought to himself.

"Let's go, idiot."

\---

Naruto looked around the plain room that Sasuke had led him to. It was strangely empty, especially considering the opulence he had seen around the rest of the house.

Sasuke had left him alone a little while ago, saying that he needed to go and check on some things. Though a little suspicious, Naruto accepted the excuse and had told the other he would wait patiently until he got back.

Ha. As _if_.

Sasuke had only been gone for a few minutes, and already Naruto was pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair, and biting viciously at his lip. He had never been one to stay still for extended periods of time, and that—coupled with how crazy his instincts were driving him—caused a lot of built up nervous energy.

He wondered if he should be using his time alone to try and escape. He was quick to dismiss the idea, however. He was no coward! Besides, if he did that, then they wouldn't be any further into their investigation than when they had started.

Come to think of it... Shikamaru was being strangely silent. Usually, when Naruto started to get into trouble, the lazy man would be there nagging his ear off about how stupid he was being.

So why wasn't he?

"Shikamaru?" Naruto asked hesitantly, half afraid one of the Uchiha brothers or someone who worked in the mansion would burst into the room and demand to know why he was talking to himself.

Silence was his only reply.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Shikamaru, are you there?" He lifted his hand up absentmindedly towards his ear, deciding to make sure the electronic device was still on. His heart skipped a beat when he realized the ear bud that allowed him to communicate with the rest of his team was gone.

He couldn't help it. He panicked.

"Shikamaru? Shika! Answer me, damn it! Are you there? Shika!" The blond angrily thumped the side of his head where the ear bud had been, as if this would magically solve everything. It didn't.

"Trying to call for backup, dobe?"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. What was it with people surprising him today?

Heart beating a mile a minute, the blue eyed man did his best to look casual as he slowly turned to face the intruder. "When did you—?"

"I came in just a moment ago," Sasuke replied, his eyes revealing absolutely nothing about what he was thinking, "You were too busy beating yourself up to notice."

Naruto gulped, trying desperately to think of an excuse. "Ah... yeah. You see, when I was twelve years old a stray baseball came out of nowhere and hit me on the head. I was in the hospital for weeks. I've been hearing voices off and on ever si—"

"Hn. Save it," the Uchiha's voice was cold and uncaring. Naruto felt himself give a small shiver. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't know, dobe?"

Naruto glared, defiant. "I don't know what you're talking about." When all else fails, deny, deny, deny...

The glare that Sasuke returned probably could have killed a lesser man. "Oh, but I think you do, Officer Uzumaki."

The blond growled. So, he really had found out, huh...? "What tipped you off?" he demanded.

"It wasn't so much as ' _what_ ' as it was ' _who_ ,'" Sasuke smirked grimly, obviously feeling victorious since he had gotten Naruto to admit it, "Gaara Sabaku contacted me immediately after he finished speaking with you. I suppose you were busy at the time with... Ah... What was it? Oh, yes. Talking with the voices in your head." He raised a dark eyebrow, obviously unimpressed with the excuse.

An image of the intimidating redhead he had talked to earlier flashed before Naruto's mind. His eyes narrowed. That _bastard_...! But wait a second...

"Hey! I didn't tell Sabaku anything about that!" He was sure he hadn't! Sure, he was known for being irresponsible, but he wasn't _that_ stupid!

"You told him enough," Sasuke sent a condescending look towards the other man, "Sabaku remembered your name from a report about a robbery that you foiled. Only _you_ would be stupid enough not to have given him a fake name. On top of that, you revealed to him that you were there with Neji Hyuuga, of all people. I think we both know the Hyuugas are displeased with my family right now. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

"I should have known that such an emotionless bastard was your minion," Naruto growled out.

Sasuke snorted. "Hardly. Gaara is his own man."

"Then why...?" Naruto asked, confused.

"For almost the same reason you accepted this particular assignment, I assume," Sasuke replied with a slight wave of his hand.

"Huh?" Naruto replied, oh-so-articulately.

Sasuke sent the blond before him another condescending look. "I should have guessed that I would have to spell it out for you, idiot." He sighed, as if this whole situation was one huge pain in his ass. "For a cop, you're really stupid. Sabaku is trying to get on my good side so that I'll listen to his request to leave the Hyuugas alone."

Naruto scowled. "You liar! If he wanted that, then he would have let me continue on with my assignment instead of ratting me out to you!"

"Do you honestly think you're the first one who has tried to 'bring me in'?" Sasuke shook his head, annoyed, "Well, you're not. I can tell you that there have been numerous attempts to see that I'm brought to 'justice.' And most of the others who have tried had more skill in their left pinky than you do in your entire body, dobe. You were doomed to failure from the start. Gaara Sabaku realized this. _Anyone_ would have realized this."

"You...!" Naruto began, looking as if he was about to attack the other man.

"It would be in your best interests not to try that. You're in my territory now," the look on Sasuke's face was one of subdued, but vicious, amusement, "Neji Hyuuga doesn't even realize how many people he has looking out for him, trying to 'protect' him from my family. He's too obsessed with watching over his clan's main family—with watching over his ' _Hinata-sama_ '—to see. It's almost a shame. Anyway, now that I've explained everything in a way that your pea-sized brain can comprehend, why don't we get down to business?"

"'Business'?" Naruto repeated, almost seeming to shriek the word. So, the bastard was finally going to tell him why he had brought him here, huh? Well, whatever it was, he wouldn't go down without a fight!

"Yes. Business," came the brisk reply. Without warning, Sasuke began to advance on the blond. Not one to back down, Naruto took a fighting stance, raising his fists high in the air.

"Bastard! You want to fight me? Fine! I'll take you—"

Naruto's words were abruptly cut off when Sasuke expertly maneuvered past the blond's defenses and planted a fierce kiss firmly on the other man's lips.

The kiss was hard and forceful, but there was an undeniable soft undertone to it. The blond's eyes widened and his body momentarily stiffened in shock. Sasuke used the opportunity to force Naruto's mouth open and shove his tongue in while pushing him back until the blue eyed man's back hit the wall.

This action snapped Naruto out of his daze. His eyes narrowed, but before he could bite down on the invading tongue in his mouth Sasuke pulled away. They were both breathing deeply, trying to reclaim the air they had lost during the harsh kiss. Naruto felt rage well up inside of him. This _bastard_! How dare he? _How dare he_? He wanted to punch the dark haired man, but Sasuke's grip on him made that impossible. He looked towards Sasuke's face to glare at him for all he was worth, but the emotions found swirling in the other man's eyes made Naruto stop, his breath catching.

His eyes still had their usual hardness in them, but, shockingly, Naruto could also see confusion, lust, awe, and millions of other emotions that seemed to pass by too quickly for the blond to identify.

Sasuke looked him straight in the eyes. "Why," he finally spoke, his voice alight with controlled frustration, "did you help me?"

Immediately, Naruto knew what he was talking about. Not that it was hard to guess. In his mind's eye, he remembered and pictured the scene that had happened earlier—just a few hours ago, when he had forced Sasuke to the ground when someone had pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him. Naruto thought the reason why he had done that was obvious. Sasuke, apparently, did not.

"I've been trying to figure it out," Sasuke started again. He momentarily paused, letting his head fall and rest on Naruto's shoulder. He tightened his grip on the blond and then continued, his voice slightly muffled by Naruto's shirt, "But I can't. I just can't. Why, Naruto Uzumaki? Why didn't you let that man shoot me? It would have made your job easier if I was dead. So why? Tell me."

There was a sudden, long pause. Naruto tilted his head, confused by the man's question. He honestly didn't know why?

"Bastard, no matter how much I hate you, I'm not going to let you—or _anyone_ —die right before my eyes. Not when I can do something about it. No matter what you've done in the past or who you associate yourself with, you're still a human being. And you call _me_ an idiot?"

Naruto meant to smirk, but when he looked at the other man it turned into a smile. Sasuke looked up from his resting place on Naruto's shoulder, his eyes shocked and slightly disbelieving.

Had this guy really been so deprived of any form of love his whole life that something like this surprised him? In a lot of ways, Naruto could empathize with him. His past hadn't been pretty either. That is, until he had met Iruka-sensei. He smiled when he remembered the man who had irrevocably changed his life for the better.

Naruto continued on, unhesitatingly voicing his convictions, "I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to keep on living. Because you never know, right? If you keep on living, something good might just happen."

For a moment, Sasuke's heart stopped at the blond's words. He hadn't even known it, but he had needed to hear that. And now, he felt so... so...

Naruto's cheesy grin was cut off by a soft kiss.

When Sasuke pulled back again, Naruto sputtered out a, "What? Uchiha! Why the hell do you keep—"

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto..." Sasuke mumbled, whispering the name like it was a prayer.

The blond blushed slightly. "L-listen, bastard, I know I'm hot stuff, but I'm straight so I'd really appreciate it if you stopped doing tha—" Naruto's frenzied words were cut off by another kiss, which was soon followed by another, and another.

Seeing the dazed look in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke smirked, "You were saying?"

"Ah... ha... _b-bastard_... you..."

"Still coherent, huh? I'll have to change that." Sasuke smirked before kissing Naruto deeply once again. When he pulled away, he spoke again, sounding out of breath, "You know, when that man shot at me, I was wearing a bullet-proof vest."

Naruto glared weakly, his whole body suddenly feeling like mush. "Y-yeah? Well... were you... ha... ha... wearing a b-bullet proof... ha... _head_?" he shot back in reply.

Sasuke grinned, looking very much like the cat that had caught the canary. Not bothering to dignify the blond's words with a reply, he went back to deeply kissing the other man, happily exploring the other's mouth with his tongue. Without Naruto noticing, he began to maneuver them both out of the room and down the hall towards another room.

Naruto didn't even realize he had been moved until his back came in contact with a soft bed. While this might have snapped him out of his daze in any other circumstance, Sasuke's kisses and roaming hands drove away all thoughts about why what they were doing was wrong on so many levels, leaving him only with the desperate feeling of wanting _more, more, more_...

Similarly, Sasuke was having an equally difficult time thinking. All he could think about was the happiness and lust and the millions of other emotions just being around the blond evoked in him. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what the dobe had been talking about. He had kept living, and now he had met Naruto. His Naruto. And, if he was with Naruto, he could keep going on forever. They had only just met, but he knew... he knew... he _knew_... Naruto, Naruto, _Naruto_...

Sasuke gently lowered Naruto onto his bed, behaving as if he held something infinitely precious in his arms. "Mine..." he whispered fiercely, "Mine... _My_ Naruto... Mine... Only mine... Naruto..."

Naruto's breath caught, and the immediate response in his muddled mind was to deny Sasuke's words. He had worked hard for his independence. He was his own man. However, he just knew... He wasn't sure how he did, but he _knew_... that was just how Sasuke dealt with and expressed the feelings he had. He wasn't cruel enough to begrudge him that. Besides, Sasuke probably wouldn't listen to him if he tried to deny it, anyway.

Sasuke placed an open mouthed kiss against the blond's neck, and just like that all thoughts of anything else flew out of Naruto's head. He arched into Sasuke's hold as the man began sucking on the spot he had kissed. With the way Sasuke was sucking and nipping at his neck, he knew it was going to leave a noticeable mark later, but oh _God_... he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Sa...ah! Sasuke!" Naruto moaned, unable to stop himself. The sound of his own name seemed to spur Sasuke on. He harshly ground their members together, causing a pleasant _zing_ to jolt through Naruto's whole body. " _Sasuke_!"

"Hn," Sasuke mumbled to himself, pulling back from Naruto's neck to inspect his handy work. Seemingly satisfied, he pressed another hard kiss onto Naruto's lips and started to work on removing his clothes.

Naruto eagerly returned the kiss and helped Sasuke with his task while also working to strip the dark haired man. Suddenly, though, Sasuke paused. Naruto looked up at him, wondering what was wrong.

Before he could voice the question, Sasuke raised an eyebrow and held up the gun that had been hidden beneath the blond's clothes. Naruto blinked stupidly, unable to comprehend much of anything in the current state he was in.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke removed the clip from the handgun and pulled the slide back to eject the cartridge that was in the chamber of the gun. When he finished unloading it, he ignored normal safety procedures and carelessly tossed it somewhere behind them.

"What the—Hey! Bastard, that was my gun!" Naruto said angrily, seeming to momentarily gather a few of his wits.

"Hn," Sasuke replied simply before kissing his dobe again.

Unimpeded by anything else, both were soon naked. Sasuke, unwilling to waste any more time, reached a hand towards a dresser beside his bed and began rummaging through the items there. Soon, he victoriously pulled out a bottle of lube and began to squirt some onto his fingers.

Sasuke gave Naruto another deep kiss and, when he was sure the blond was sufficiently distracted, he shoved a lube covered finger up his ass.

Immediately, Naruto broke the kiss, hissing in pain. He was pretty sure things weren't supposed to go inside that particular hole...

"Bastard," Naruto bit out through the pain he was feeling, glaring at Sasuke, "Why the h-hell am I the woman in this relationship? Y-you're the girly looking o-one!"

Sasuke sent him a look, communicating without words that he was doubting his dobe's intelligence. Not dignifying Naruto's question with a response, he added another finger.

"Ouch..." Naruto said, whimpering slightly.

Unhappy with the knowledge that his Naruto was in pain, Sasuke began using his fingers to feel around inside the blond. Naruto shivered, unsure if he liked the slightly painful feeling of the probing fingers or not. It mostly just felt strange.

Then, suddenly, Sasuke hit a certain spot inside of him, and Naruto could swear he saw fucking _stars_. "Sasuke!" he cried, his eyes slamming shut and his body loosening as the pleasure washed over him.

Sasuke smirked, extremely pleased with the blond's reaction. Wanting to see more of Naruto's pleasured face, he began to relentlessly abuse his prostate. Naruto was soon screaming out broken utterances of Sasuke's name, much to the dark haired man's delight.

Naruto clutched desperately at Sasuke's bare back, _feeling_ that his climax was just so fucking close...! However, just as he was about to fall over the edge of pleasure, Sasuke pulled away, removing his hand from Naruto's anus.

Naruto, unable to control himself, let out an anguished sob. " _Sasuke_..." he mumbled frantically, reaching one of the hands that had previously been clutching on to the dark haired man towards his dick, desperate for the release he had just been denied.

Sasuke swatted the blond's hand away. "No," he said, more harshly than he had originally intended. He didn't offer any explanation. Naruto trembled uncontrollably.

Infuriatingly slowly, Sasuke positioned himself at Naruto's entrance. Then, before the blond had the opportunity to tense up, he shoved himself inside.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, arching into the Uchiha. It hurt, it hurt, it _hurt_! He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Sasuke felt like he was in Heaven. "Naruto..." he whispered, pleasured beyond belief as Naruto's velvety, warm tightness enveloped him. Only the knowledge that his partner was in pain kept him from pounding Naruto viciously into the bed.

Slowly, Naruto's pain began to subside. When it did, he was surprised by the startling _fullness_ he felt. As strange as it was, being in Sasuke's arms with the guy's dick shoved up his ass made him feel complete. His eyes slowly closed as a feeling of contentedness washed over him. "Sasuke..."

Taking this as a confirmation that Naruto was okay, Sasuke began to move. He started out slowly, wanting to revel in the feeling of Naruto around him, but the pleasant heat seemed to call to him. Soon, he was pounding into the blond with a single-minded intensity. The bed began to creak loudly, the noise joining the pleasured moans and pants coming from the two lovers.

Naruto was once again seeing stars. Sasuke seemed to be an expert at finding his prostate and slamming harshly into it. Everything just felt so fucking good... It was almost starting to become too much. He could feel himself slipping closer to the edge of ultimate pleasure. He was so close...

Naruto opened his mouth to tell his partner this, but all that seemed to come out was useless mumbles of Sasuke's name. Despite this, Sasuke seemed to get the message. He continued his assault on the blond's body, all the while delighting in the emotions he was feeling.

And, just like that, Naruto couldn't hold it back any longer. He came with a loud cry, his hands clinging on to his lover.

Sasuke's breath hitched. The feeling of Naruto's inner walls contracting around his overly-sensitized member was too much, and Sasuke was quick to follow the blond into pleasurable oblivion.

When it was finally over, Sasuke's arms—which had previously been holding him up—failed him. They buckled, and he collapsed next to his dobe, taking care not to land on and squish him.

For a while, both laid together in the comfortable, expansive bed. A companionable silence overtook the room, broken only by the sound of the two's heavy breathing.

Then, Sasuke rolled over to face Naruto. The blond mirrored the move, and for a moment all they could do was look at each other blankly. Suddenly, Sasuke moved his arm and wrapped it around his dobe, drawing him closer. Naruto smiled slightly in response.

There were millions of questions swirling around in their heads—millions of inquiries, demands, and untold explanations. Tomorrow morning, this encounter was going to make their lives extremely hectic, especially if they wanted to stay together.

And they did.

Even Naruto, who would have sworn to everyone he knew that he was a _heterosexual_ , law abiding officer of the law just a few hours before.

And particularly Sasuke, who wasn't entirely sure he knew what this new feeling was called, but knew he liked it and wanted to figure it out.

Yeah, the world around them was about to turn upside down. But it didn't matter, because this small moment they found themselves in was perfect, and they didn't want to give it up.

Not now. Not ever.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto. Darn.

  
**Mustering Happiness**

Chapter Two

The next time Naruto cracked open his eyes, he wasn't really awake.

Dazed, the blond was somehow able to comprehend that he was in that half aware, fuzzy mindset that he usually found himself in when someone or something disturbed his sleep in the middle of the night. He wasn't quite sure what had woken him up, and he was too tired to try and figure it out.

Suddenly, a warm feeling seemed to break through the haze of his thoughts. It had a pleasant, kind air about it, and... Naruto felt strangely... protected. It was nice.

Smiling slightly, Naruto instinctively snuggled closer towards where he perceived the feeling to be. His mind hardly even registered the arm that briefly tightened reassuringly around him.

With a content sigh, the blond slipped back into the land of slumber.

Sasuke carefully slid off of his bed, paying extra attention to his movements so as not to jostle the sleeping Naruto again. When he had tried to leave earlier, the blond had almost woken up. He didn't want to disturb him...

Ignoring the annoying voice in the back of his head that was telling him that being so considerate was extremely out of character for him, Sasuke looked back to check on Naruto again. Sure enough, he was still snoozing away. Sasuke's lips twitched into what might have been a smile before completely stepping off of the bed. He walked into the bathroom connected to his room and washed himself off with a wet towel before throwing on the first clean thing he could find. He then moved to exit the room.

After making sure to lock his door firmly behind him, the Uchiha headed down the hall. With his tense posture and brisk pace, it would have been obvious to anyone who might have saw that he had a specific, unpleasant destination in mind.

He abruptly stopped in front of an intricately designed mahogany door and raised a fist, knocking quickly.

"Come in," came a voice from inside.

Sasuke quietly twisted the handle and stepped into the room. "Itachi," he greeted, his voice strangely emotionless.

"Sasuke," a man—Itachi—coldly replied, not bothering to look up from the papers on his desk. There were a few brief moments of silence as Sasuke moved to stand in front of his brother and Itachi shuffled the important papers into an orderly pile. Then, finally, he glanced up to meet his brother's eyes. "I was able to hear you from all the way down here a few hours ago," he said. And that was it. No, 'couldn't you have kept it down?' or 'your loud sex noises were disturbing me as I worked.'

Sasuke nodded. "Hn," he replied simply.

Once again, there was silence. This time, Sasuke was the one to break it.

"Itachi, the situation is getting more and more dangerous. I'm sure you've already heard, but at the Sabaku banquet last night I was attacked. And not only that, it seems the Konoha police are getting bolder. There were at least two cops at the party, probably more," Sasuke informed, studying his brother with a critical eye for any sort of reaction to the news. As he expected, there was none.

Itachi leaned back in his chair and intertwined his fingers, appearing to be the very picture of relaxed. "I've already fired the bodyguard that was watching over you last night, and the gunman has been properly interrogated and disposed of. As for the police, they will be easy to take care of. Your concerns are unnecessary," he dismissed.

Sasuke stared at his brother for a long moment before sighing. "Fine," he replied, sounding bored. Not willing to waste any more time, he turned on his heels and stalked out of the room. Neither of the two bothered with a 'goodbye.'

After Sasuke closed Itachi's office door behind him, he couldn't help but pause. Somehow, he had a bad feeling. Were his worries really unwarranted? He wasn't quite sure...

Deciding to think more on it later, he headed back down the hall. He had a blond he needed to molest.

After his brother had left, Itachi stared blankly at the spot Sasuke had been standing for a few moments. Finally, he reached over and grabbed the phone on his desk. It rang once before the person on the other end picked up.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Danzo? This is Itachi. I have something I need you to take care of."

Naruto slowly slipped back into consciousness, blinking tiredly. His whole body felt sore, as if he had just participated in a long-distance triathlon. He frowned due to his discomfort.

The blond looked up at the ceiling, feeling strangely disoriented. For some reason, it seemed that the blinds in his apartment were closed, making him unable to guess at what time of day it was. His bed felt extra comfortable today, too, which was nice. Strange, albeit, but nice.

It was when an unfamiliar painting on the wall came into his hazy sight that Naruto began to realize that something wasn't right. What the...? He didn't own any paintings...

Then, it all came flooding back to him.

"HOLY SHIT!" Naruto screamed, sitting straight up in the bed. This quickly proved to be a bad move, however, as a fierce pain shot up his spine.

"Ow, ow, ow...!" he hissed, flopping back on the bed in an effort to help quell the discomfort. It was then that he realized he was aching all over. He mentally cursed Sasuke to hell and back. He would kill that bastard...!

Speaking of the Uchiha, where was he?

A strange sense of disappointment rose up in Naruto's chest when he realized the other man wasn't with him. He would have thought... Well, he thought that the bastard would've still been here when he woke up.

Naruto shook his head. What was he, a chick? Something like that shouldn't bother him at all! And it didn't. Nope. He just... He must have eaten something bad at that stupid party yesterday. That was it.

Come to think of it, he had left the banquet pretty abruptly yesterday. He hadn't even told anyone. His team wasn't worried, were they?

Suddenly, an image of an enraged Tsunade flashed in his mind.

Naruto couldn't help it. He whimpered. He was dead meat! This wasn't good!

That was it. He needed to get out of here. That is, get out of here, and then immediately report to Tsunade. Maybe if he got there as fast as he could, she would spare his life. Besides, it was obvious that Sasuke wasn't waiting for him...

He was quick to push that thought to the back of his mind, though a slightly bitter feeling remained in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head. He needed to get out of here!

Naruto moved slowly, so as not to disturb his aching body too much. His hesitant movements brought attention to the crusted over substance that graced his inner thighs, butt, and belly. The blond blushed a bit before wincing at the thought of how it had got there. Damn it, he didn't need any more reminders...

Finally, he was able to ease his body off of the bed. Looking around, he was quick to spot the connected bathroom and his discarded cloths. Curiously, though, his gun was nowhere to be found. Great, now Tsunade and Tenten were going to kill him. Tenten had told him that the firearm had been one of her best handguns! Once again, he mentally cursed the Uchiha that had put him in this situation.

Naruto hobbled into the bathroom and washed off the sweat and cum sticking to his body as quickly as he could with a wet washcloth, a light blush dusting his cheeks. When he deemed his appearance to be good enough, he went back into the bedroom and grabbed his discarded clothes. Somehow, he managed to cause only minimal pain to his poor body as he got dressed back into his suit. He only put on his dress shirt, pants, and underwear, not wanting to bother with the jacket or tie.

When he was dressed appropriately enough to go back out into public, Naruto headed over towards the door, an unmistakable limp still in his step. Hoping he could remember the way out of the mansion, the blond firmly grasped the doorknob and turned it, only to find...

It was locked?

The hell? Naruto furrowed his brow before trying to turn the handle again, only to get the same result. Yep, it was definitely locked. The blond growled. That bastard...! How was he supposed to leave if the door was locked? Did Sasuke not want him to go or something?

Naruto determinedly ignored the sudden fluttery feeling in his chest.

No, this was no time to get distracted! He needed to get out and report to Tsunade!

And if a part of him was telling him that he should stay... Well, he was just chalking that up to the fact that he hadn't been able to explore the mansion and look for evidence like he had wanted to. Unfortunately, he probably didn't have time to do that now. Who knew when a random maid would walk in and stall his escape attempts?

Now, if he couldn't get out the door... Maybe the window?

Naruto quickly headed over towards the window and moved to yank it up. To his joy, it effortlessly opened. He looked down, only to notice that he appeared to be on the third or fourth floor. Ha! As if something like that was going to stop the amazing Naruto Uzumaki!

"Leaving so soon?"

The 'amazing' Naruto screamed like a little girl.

Clutching at his chest, the blond spun around only to find himself face to face with an emotionless Sasuke Uchiha.

"Bastard! You...! Why...! Bastard...!" Naruto ground out, still trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, obviously unimpressed. He then held up some pills and a glass of water, gesturing for the blond to take it. When Naruto only shot him a confused look, he explained, "I thought your body might be feeling sore from last night, so I went ahead and got you some pain killers from the kitchen."

"Oh..." Naruto said, somewhat at a loss for words. So this was why the bastard has left? To get some pills for him? Well, that made the situation... different... he guessed... maybe... "Why did you take so long getting back if you only went to the kitchen?" he asked, a little confused and suspicious. It seemed like he had been alone in the room for a while now.

"The kitchen is far away," Sasuke replied, his expression giving nothing away.

There was a short pause. "Thanks for getting it, then, I guess," Naruto finally said, reaching out to take the proffered items. He assumed that, in a place like this, it would have taken a while to get to the kitchen.

Sasuke waited patiently as Naruto took the medication. When the blond was finished, he spoke again. "You might not want to try escaping out that way. Even if you somehow manage to get to the ground without setting off any alarms, trained security guards are constantly circling the grounds with their dogs. Escaping is futile."

"What?" Naruto yelped. It couldn't be! While what Sasuke described wasn't anything unusual for someone who was filthy rich, it was going to make things a hell of a lot more difficult. Plus, with the way Sasuke had spoken, he could tell that the man was dead serious—as if escaping from this place really was impossible. He couldn't help but feel a little unnerved. He needed to get out of here!

"You won't be leaving until you're authorized to do so," Sasuke went on, ignoring Naruto's indignant squawks. "As my... guest, I am your only key to authorization. Keep that in mind, dobe."

"You can't just keep me here!" Naruto yelled, a slightly panicked edge to his voice. "Bastard, I'm a cop! I know this is all sorts of illegal, and I have no qualms with throwing your pale ass in jail!"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Hn. Idiot, I never said anything about keeping you here. I was telling you how things are."

Naruto paused. "Oh..." The blond appeared to contemplate this for a moment. "I guess you didn't."

"For a cop, you're really stupid. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yeah? Well, even for an asshole, you have a surprisingly shitty personality. Has anyone ever told you that?" Naruto mocked, sticking his tongue out and donning a taunting expression.

Sasuke smirked.

Naruto glared.

"If you keep sticking your tongue out like that, I won't be responsible for my actions," Sasuke warned, his expression and voice suddenly taking on a creepy edge.

Naruto's eyes widened at the threat. He was quick to stuff his tongue back into his mouth, but it seemed the damage had been done. Sasuke advanced towards him, and the blond cop was more than a little wary about the look on the other man's face. He took a few steps backwards.

When Naruto's back hit the wall behind him, he knew he was screwed. Probably both figuratively and literally, too, if the events from earlier were anything to go by.

A pale hand slammed into the wall beside his head.

Really... How did he get himself into these sorts of situations?

As Sasuke slowly leaned his head forward, creepy grin still on his face, Naruto desperately worked to recall the years of training he had gone through. Damn it, the Uchiha had another thing coming if he thought he was just going to offer his ass to him on a silver platter!

Working mostly on instinct, Naruto yelled out, "This is defensive maneuver four, bastard!" before carrying out a move intended for breaking an opponent's nose, potentially ending their chances of ever having kids, and—once they'd hit the ground—ended with a knee pressed harshly against the sternum. It had been a part of what he had learned during his training, and he was suddenly very glad for it.

It probably would have worked, too, if Sasuke hadn't been anticipating some sort of resistance from his dobe.

Just as Naruto lashed out, Sasuke grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. Not even a moment later, the blond found himself face to face with the pale blue paint that decorated the room's walls. "Ouch! Damn it!" Naruto cursed, more out of surprise than from any actual pain.

Just as Naruto was about to shove the heel of his foot sharply down on Sasuke's instep and attempt defensive maneuver six, the Uchiha leaned his head forward so that his mouth was right beside his opponent's ear.

"You know," Sasuke whispered, voice smug, "just because I didn't come out and say that I was going to force you to stay here doesn't mean that wasn't my plan."

Naruto had to repress the urge to shiver. Blue eyes wide, he let out a choked, "Huh?" before he noticed his vision getting blurry. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over him, and he knew he was only seconds away from passing out. What the...?

"Looks like those pills I gave you are finally taking effect," Sasuke chuckled. "Night, dobe."

What? That bastard! He'd drugged him? That ass... hole... son of a... bi... tch...

Sasuke easily caught Naruto when the man's body suddenly slumped forward.

As the Uchiha looked down at the sleeping idiot in his arms, he allowed himself a small, rare smile.

"Where..." a deadly voice started, "the fuck is the brat?"

Tsunade glared bloody daggers at the three haggard looking people standing before her desk, her posture leaving no doubt that she wanted answers now. Neji bravely stepped forward. Behind him, Shikamaru and Tenten mentally wished him luck.

"Tsunade-sama, I am sorry to say that we are currently unaware of Officer Naruto Uzumaki's whereabouts," the brunet replied, his voice and eyes clearing reflecting the worry he felt for the blond.

"I think I fucking gathered that, Hyuuga," Tsunade hissed. Her hands, which had previously been resting peacefully on her desk, clenched into fists. "Let me rephrase my question: Why, eleven hours after the idiot went missing, are we still unable to locate where he is?"

Neji, Shikamaru, and Tenten winced.

Neji took a deep breath before replying. "We can only assume, based on reports from witnesses, that Officer Uzumaki followed Sasuke Uchiha into his limo after a brief scuffle involving an unnamed gunman and aforementioned Sasuke Uchiha. Therein lies the problem. We have no way to determine where the Uchiha took him. He could have... Well, he could have taken Officer Uzumaki anywhere. Not to mention, there are some places that we just can't check. Not without a warrant." While he managed to keep his professional tone, his voice wavered at the end. He had already lost his father. He didn't want to lose anyone else... Even if it was just a blond idiot he met the other day...

Tsunade growled, but otherwise managed to keep her composure. Her calculating eyes regarded the three people before her for a long moment. Then, she stood.

"I want you each to keep doing your damnedest to find Officer Uzumaki. And when you do, bring him to me so that I can strangle him," she commanded.

The Neji, Shikamaru, and Tenten nodded before scurrying as fast as they could out of the police chief's office.

Tsunade fell back into her chair. Her angry expression melted, and a troubled look replaced it. God, she needed some sake...

Before she could go and take out a bottle from one of the stashes that Shizune had yet to find, the phone on her desk started to ring. Growling in frustration, she yanked the poor device up and gripped it with more force than was probably necessary. "What is it?" she demanded, really not in the mood to deal with anymore stupidity.

"Ah, Tsunade. You're as charming as always," came the voice from the other end of the line.

Tsunade recognized the voice immediately. "Mayor Danzo," she spoke, her eyebrow twitching slightly, "forgive me for being blunt, but I'm busy right now. What do you want?"

"I'm contacting you about your busy schedule, actually. I've been informed you recently started work on the Uchiha case. I am now relieving you of that duty. You may now focus on other matters," the man, Danzo, spoke, sounding smug.

Tsunade's mouth dropped open. She might have been glad that no one was there to witness that little indiscretion had she been able to focus on anything other than the words that had just come out of the mayor's mouth. "What are you talking about? You can't..." she mumbled, still trying to get over the shock.

"Chief Tsunade, you don't seem to understand. I am ordering you to call off your men."

The blonde in question growled, gripping the phone in her hands with a dangerous force. The device made an ominous creaking noise, as if it were about to break in half. She somehow managed to resist the urge to cuss out the man on the other end of the line.

"Mayor Danzo, you listen here," Tsunade hissed. "We've already started to work on this case, and we intend to see it through until the end. If you don't—"

"I've already assigned a specialized force to take care of this matter. You and your cops are no longer needed."

"That is a lie!" the blonde snapped. "Don't even try to feed me that bullsh—"

"Language, Tsunade," Danzo murmured on the other end of the line, sounding mildly amused.

Tsunade growled.

"It is no matter of mine if you choose to believe my words or not. Either way, we both know you must do as I say. Regarding the Uchiha case, you will call off your men immediately. That is all."

There was a brief click, and then the line went dead.

Tsunade slammed the phone back into its cradle, her expression mirroring the anger she felt. She took a deep breath in order to try and keep her cool, though it didn't help much. Damn you, Danzo...! she thought, frustrated.

After a few moments, the woman wearily dropped her head into the cupped palms of her hands. "Brat, you'd better be okay..."

Naruto was having the strangest dream.

Now, normally, he was used to having pretty weird dreams—like that one of him floating in a gigantic bowl of ramen while wearing a swimsuit made of noodles, for example—but this one took the cake.

"Hello?" he called, looking around. The words echoed off of the walls, which were bare save for the pipes that crisscrossed over them. The sound somehow made the desolate area seem even more ominous.

Naruto knew he was dreaming, but he didn't know how he was supposed to proceed. Did he just stand here until he woke up? That sounded boring.

Suddenly, he felt his whole body being tugged to the right, as if someone had suddenly pushed him over. After regaining his balance, he looked over and saw a hallway he could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago. Oh, well. Time to explore!

Confident that no imaginary dream monsters would be able to get the drop on him—Naruto Uzumaki!—he headed down the hall. The scenery didn't change much as he walked, but as he followed down the path, he began to get the feeling he was getting closer and closer to someplace important.

However, when a sitting figure with a familiar duck-butt hairstyle gradually came into view, Naruto figured out that that it wasn't so much of someplace that was important, but rather someone.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto called, speeding up as he spotted his... Well, what was the Uchiha to him? A boyfriend? Lover? One night stand? The blond decided not to think too deeply about it.

"Hey, do you know where we are? This place sure is wei..." the cop's voice trailed off as he got closer. His eyes widened. "Sasuke?"

In front of him seemed to be Sasuke all right, but... There was one major difference. This Sasuke appeared to be six or seven years old. And, as Naruto finally got a good look at him, he realized with a jolt that the boy was crying.

Before Naruto could say or do anything, the scenery suddenly changed. No longer was he in a depressing hallway, but instead a bright, colorful place. The blond had to squint as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. "The hell...?" he muttered, confused. Just what kind of 'shrooms had he been sniffing before he'd fallen asleep? This couldn't be normal.

When he was finally able to see and make sense of his surroundings, Naruto looked around only to find that he was in a field. He mentally groaned. He sure was having a cheesy dream. Couldn't he go back to the ramen one? He had liked that dream.

When a soft sniffling noise caught his attention, the cop looked down and saw with much surprise that mini-Sasuke was still there. Somehow, the boy didn't seem to notice either the abrupt scenery change or Naruto. Suddenly feeling supremely awkward—he had never been good at dealing with crying people—Naruto bent down and placed a hand on the boy's upper arm.

Even though he was only touching mini-Sasuke's arm lightly, Naruto was a little surprised when the boy gave no response. "Sasuke...?" he asked, his voice careful. Still, the Uchiha gave no indication that he realized the other was there.

Naruto hesitated, unsure, before deciding to try again. "Hey—"

Mini-Sasuke's sudden sniffle interrupted him. "W-Why has brother been so c-cold lately? What i-is...? I h-haven't..." The boy, seemingly unable to continue, trailed off, shivers and sobs racking his body.

Naruto's eyes softened, his confusion and concern growing as he listened to the Uchiha's wavering, teary voice. He shook his head, clearing his suddenly scattered thoughts. "Sasuke..." he began, though he wasn't entirely sure the boy was listening, "I don't... I don't know what's going on, but it'll be okay... you know? So just... just cheer up, okay? I'm here... I'm right here for you..." The blond gently stroked the other's back, hoping to sooth him.

Mini-Sasuke looked up, his crying eyes hesitant, but hopeful. Naruto blinked, momentarily confused. So the Uchiha had been able to hear him...?

"Dobe, it's time to wake up."

The voice—coupled with a sudden hand on his shoulder—caused Naruto to spin around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

Behind him stood the Sasuke Uchiha he knew, decidedly older than mini-Sasuke and wearing an apathetic expression. Naruto jumped, startled. What the fuck...? He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed that the bastard he knew and loved was back.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, a little dumbfounded.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "It's time to wake up," he repeated. "Come on."

The Uchiha suddenly grabbed his wrist and hauled him back to his feet. Naruto looked behind himself just in time to see mini-Sasuke wiping his eyes with his hand before the boy and the scenery around him faded to black. Shocked and mostly following his instincts, Naruto cried out and lunged to grab the disappearing boy, but to no avail. In the blink of an eye, the tiny Uchiha was gone. His heart stopped.

"SASUKE!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, his whole body seeming to jolt up and out of the bed he was laying on. His breathing was harsh, and he shaking so badly that he would have feared he was having some sort of seizure if he had the time to actually care. He tightly gripped the sheets around him, his knuckles turning white. "Sasuke... Dream... It was... Sasuke..." he frantically mumbled out, not yet entirely coherent. He knew... He knew it was a dream, so why had he reacted that way? Why couldn't his heart stop pounding? It was just a dream! Besides, he hardly knew the Uchiha! Even if they had done... that...

"Idiot, calm down before you hurt yourself."

Naruto shakily raised his gaze, his heart slowing back down when he realized that Sasuke was sitting on the bed next to him, his back propped up by some pillows and a book in his hands. Sasuke... Sasuke was safe...

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the other's dazed looked, but seemed to decide to ignore it. "You've been out of it for a long time," he began. "I guess our previous activities really wore you out, huh?" The Uchiha smirked.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his strangely hazy thoughts. Man, he must have really been out of it... What had he been doing? He felt like it was important, but he couldn't remember...

"Even calling out my name in your sleep like that... I didn't realize I was that good, dobe."

That sufficiently snapped Naruto from his thoughts. Face turning a bright red, he stuttered out, "Hey! Bastard, you weren't that great! I was just dreaming! About... Um..." He wracked his brains, coming up blank. "Well, I don't remember what it was about. But I know it wasn't of you banging me, jerk!"

"Sure it wasn't," Sasuke said, smirking. He sent a knowing, condescending look towards the blond.

Somehow, Naruto managed to turn even redder. "It wasn't!" he defended, frantically waving his arms for emphasis.

"Right. Of course."

"Stop! Stop talking like that right now, bastard!"

"Oh? I'm sorry, I can't say I know what you're talking about."

"Like that! Like...! Like you're all superior and know better! Because you don't! Yeah!"

"Whatever you say, dobe. Pray tell, if you remember so much, why don't you tell me the last thing you recall?" Sasuke asked, adding a slight leer to the end of his words.

Naruto's forehead scrunched as he thought. He had a headache, and that strange feeling—the one telling him that he was forgetting something—just wouldn't leave him alone. He shook his head, dispelling the feeling. The headache remained, however. "Hmph... As if I need to tell you... You were a pretty active participant, bastard! " He looked determinedly at the blankets around him, his sudden embarrassment making him unwilling to meet Sasuke's eyes. Damn it... Why did Sasuke want him to tell him that he last remembered the sex they had had? To embarrass him? Well, it wasn't going to work!

"Oh?" Sasuke smirked again. He leaned towards Naruto, his dark eyes strangely wary. "Did it start off like this?" he spoke, grabbing Naruto's chin and lifting it up so that their eyes met. Before the blond could react, he closed the short distance between them. Their lips briefly met, until Naruto—really resembling a tomato at this point—purposefully pushed the other man away.

"That is not going to work this time!" the blond announced, looking extremely flustered despite his words. "My ass still feels sore, and..." Naruto trailed off.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Finally, Sasuke broke it. Glaring at the wall—feigned anger was much easier to deal with than embarrassment—he spoke, "Listen... Go on a date with me."

Naruto's eyes widened, and, mortifying as it was, he heart beat a little faster. "What...?"

"You heard me," the Uchiha mumbled roughly, still unable to meet Naruto's gaze.

A huge smile broke out onto Naruto's face. Was the bastard...? Was the bastard actually blushing? His cheeks looked a little red, and... Oh, God, he was!

Suddenly looking very much like the cat that caught the canary, Naruto leaned forward. "Are you asking me or ordering me?" he asked cheekily.

"Hn."

Naruto laughed. "Don't be so embarrassed, bastard! I mean, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm just so amazing it's understandable you'd fall for me and want me to go on a date with you."

Sasuke glared at the wall even harder. It was a little incredible that it didn't shatter under his gaze. "Just answer the question," he demanded.

"Oh, so it was a question?" Naruto grinned.

"Dobe..." Sasuke warned.

Once again, the weird feeling that he was forgetting something seemed to take over his senses. Naruto pushed the feeling away, deciding to think about it more later. He grinned even wider. "Fine, fine! I suppose I can take some time out of my very busy schedule to—Ah!"

Sasuke cut off whatever he was going to say, leaning over and tackling him. The dark haired man leaned over him, the tiniest of smiles on his face. "You're a tease, Uzumaki."

Naruto grinned cheekily in response.

"So you haven't heard from him, either?"

Iruka shook his head helplessly, though he knew Sakura couldn't see. "No, I haven't," he said, his voice strained. He pressed the cellphone even closer to his ear, as if doing so would give him the answers he needed. "That Naruto...! Where could he have gone?"

"I really don't know!" Sakura spoke from the other end of the phone, her voice high pitched and panicked. "Tenten just contacted me, and I guess he hasn't been seen since that stupid, stupid party the other day, and I just...! I just...!" The poor girl sounded close to tears.

"It's okay, Sakura," Iruka said, keeping his voice soothing despite the anxiety bubbling in his chest. "Naruto is just... Well, I don't know what he's thinking, but I'm sure he's fine. You need to calm down. Panicking won't help anyone."

"But it's my fault! I told him! I told him before he left that he needed to be careful! I told him he needed to promise me, but he didn't! If I could have gotten him to promise, maybe...!"

"Take a few deep breaths, Sakura," Iruka instructed, bringing out his best 'teacher voice.' "Just a few deep breaths..."

Iruka paused long enough to allow Sakura to follow his order. When the other end was silent again, he continued, "You and I both know Naruto wasn't going to allow anything to hold him back. He gets very determined. We'll both go look for him, okay?"

"Okay..." Sakura whispered, her voice small.

"Now, Lee-san is currently worrying himself to death behind you, isn't he?" Iruka smiled slightly when he heard Sakura's quiet gasp. Really, Lee and Sakura were too predictable. Of course he was able to guess that. "I'm know the daycare is still open, so just go and drop your son off there. You and Lee-san can go check the places Naruto frequents on the west side of town. I'll take the east. If we find anything, we'll call each other. Sound good?"

Iruka heard Sakura gulp, obviously still trying to calm herself down. In his mind's eye, he could practically see Lee soothingly rubbing her back.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "Let's do that. Thank you, Iruka-sensei..."

Iruka smiled kindly, even though he knew Sakura couldn't see. "Alright. Stay close to Lee-san, okay?" He knew Lee would watch over her and keep her safe.

"I will," she promised. "Bye, Iruka-sensei. I'll call you if I find out anything."

"I'll do the same. Bye, Sakura."

There was a click, signaling the end of the conversation. Iruka didn't even hesitate, grabbing his light jacket and dialing another number into his cell phone. It rang once, and the muffled voice on the other line greeted him just as Iruka was heading out the door.

"Kakashi? I'm sorry. I know you're probably busy, but I really need your help..."

Naruto stared up at the ceiling of Sasuke's room, his face strangely blank as he thought. Sasuke had left earlier when a maid had come and whispered something in his ear. The Uchiha had nodded and said he would be right back, but...

It felt like he had been gone forever.

And it had only been ten minutes!

Since Sasuke had left, all Naruto could do was think. He kind of wanted to explore, but he had heard Sasuke click the lock into place as he had left. Not only that, but he somehow knew that trying to escape out the window would be futile. Not that he wanted to, but he was starting to feel a little stir-crazy. The stupid feeling that he was forgetting something was really bugging him.

He knew that whatever he was forgetting was important. He knew that. It was what his instincts were telling him, and he never ignored his instincts. They had saved his life on more than one occasion, after all.

Could Sasuke have anything to do with it? He wasn't sure. Even though he had only met the bastard the night before, he could already tell he was manipulative and stupidly smart. He wanted to trust in Sasuke, though. Plus, he was constantly being told he shouldn't jump to conclusions, so... He'd believe in Sasuke until he was proven wrong. Innocent until proven guilty, as was the saying.

Still, was that really the right thing to do? Something was telling him he needed to be more suspicious.

Naruto groaned, pressing his face deeper into the feathery pillow. He hated thinking!

And it still felt like he was forgetting something!

Itachi stared out his office window and down at the lush greenery below. The Uchiha grounds really were beautiful...

Sasuke had just left his office, after they had finished discussing the current state of affairs.

His gaze moved up to the sky, as blue as he had ever seen it. It was the middle of the day, and one could tell. Itachi could tell. So clear and blue... And the grass was so green...

Brother, look at how beautiful it is outside! Can we go and play? Please?

Itachi shook his head, dispelling the sudden memory that threatened to be brought to the forefront of his mind.

He looked at his hand, which lightly rested against the window. His fingers curled in on themselves. Itachi closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the glass. It was warm, so warm...

He would protect his only remaining family. He would protect his little brother. He would protect Sasuke.

"Oi! Hurry it up, bastard. You're slowing me down!"

Naruto grinned and picked up his pace, practically running down the street. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to sacrifice his indifferent reputation just to run with his dobe to the park. Hell no.

Seeing that his taunting was having absolutely no effect, Naruto stopped and turned back around to face Sasuke. "You're no fun!" he exclaimed, glaring.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again, unable to stop himself. This idiot... "Hn," he dismissed.

"We really need to work on improving your vocabulary," Naruto admonished, crossing his arms.

"You're one to talk, moron. I'm surprised you even know a word like 'vocabulary.' That's, what? Five syllables? I'm impressed." Really, it was almost too easy to rile up the dobe.

"Hey! What did you just say to me?" Naruto demanded, his fists clenching.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Which word was it that you didn't understand? Perhaps 'surprised' or 'impressed'? Or maybe 'syllables'? If you really need me to, I can try and dumb down the things I say for you." Sasuke smirked. Not only was it easy to rile up Naruto, but, silly as it was, he enjoyed knowing that he had the other's full attention. The fact that the blond was wearing his clothes was also nice. It was something that had come about due to the fact that the only clothes Naruto had at the Uchiha mansion had been his tux, which was decidedly dirty and much too formal for what was going to be their first date.

And what was to be their first date, one may wonder?

The park. The fucking park, of all places.

What were they, five?

Sasuke would have preferred to go to someplace with a little more class, but Naruto had insisted. The blond hadn't wanted anything fancy, and had informed the disgruntled Uchiha that they could have just as much fun playing on a playground as they could have if they had gone to some 'stupid, five-star restaurant where a poor, innocent blond could get shunned and sneered at just for picking up the wrong fork.'

Yes, those were the idiot's exact words. If you asked Sasuke, he was overreacting again. However, when he had tried to inform the other of this, he had been effectively ignored.

Honestly, Sasuke couldn't even remember having spent so much time with a single person in all of his life. Since they had met the night before, they had hardly been apart. Sure, that had only been a little over half a day ago, but it was still strange for him.

"I'm not falling for your bait this time, Uchiha!" Naruto declared, pridefully jutting his chin in the air. "I'm going to be the bigger man in this situation, so don't think any of your stupid taunting will work against me!"

Sasuke might have been more inclined to believe him if the blond's fists weren't still clenched like he was about to attack.

"Whatever you say," he replied, a decidedly flippant undertone marring his usually apathetic voice.

Naruto directed another glare at the Uchiha, telling him with his eyes that he was not amused.

Sasuke smiled smugly.

"Hmph... Just come on before I kick your ass, bastard."

A silver-haired figure smiled.

"Looks like I found him," he mumbled quietly to himself. Despite being perched a little dangerously on top of a large, old tree, the man easily pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at their destination. Considering it was midday on a weekend, it didn't surprise Sasuke when he saw that the place was crawling with sticky, smelly little brats. This really hadn't been what he had expected when he'd mentioned going on a date.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sasuke noticed the guards that had been discreetly following the pair shifting warily. He couldn't blame them. They were all out of their comfort zone.

Well, all of them except for Naruto.

Sasuke watched with mild amusement as the blond darted forward, blending in so well with the children it was almost creepy. The man was a grown adult; a cop! And he... He wanted to go to the park. He was definitely... unique. Yes, unique was the word.

"Hehe... I'm glad I've patrolled some of the neighborhoods close to your house! I'd always wanted to check this place out, but never got the chance. Alright! We're here. What should we do first?" Naruto looked around. To Sasuke's slight horror, he seemed to honestly be contemplating this.

Around them, Sasuke's trained ears picked up the sudden hushed whispering. While he didn't get out much, he was... well-known, to say the least. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw as many parents quickly shuffled their children away, probably to head back home where they thought it was safe. Naruto seemed to remain oblivious to all of this. Hn.

"I am going to go and sit on that bench," Sasuke stressed, already heading for a particularly isolated place. It looked nice and shady, and he knew no one would dare to interrupt him.

"No, no, no!" Naruto insisted, determinedly latching into the Uchiha's arm before he could get too far away. "You're going to play, and you are going to like it. You're a major stick in the mud, and I am going to fix that if it kills me!"

So that's what this was about.

"I don't need to be 'fixed,' idiot," Sasuke said, glaring. "You're over stating things. Besides, in case you didn't notice, the oldest person here who isn't a parent is maybe eight at the most, and I refuse—"

"Hey! I'll have you know, I'm nine and a half!" came a young, slightly squeaky voice from somewhere behind the dark-haired man. Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. This brat obviously didn't know who he was.

Naruto snickered.

"Fine. Dobe, the oldest person here is nine, and—" Sasuke's words were once again cut short by the same squeaky voice.

"And a half!" the child shouted.

Sasuke turned around, directing his patented Uchiha glare of doom at the child. He was mildly surprised, however, when his eyes met with not one, but three brats. From the overconfident, determined postures they had assumed, he could already tell this wasn't going to end well. God damn it.

"Heh. I bet you're terrified of us, aren't you?" the kid in the middle, the one who had been talking earlier, bragged. He brushed the pad of this thumb against the side of his nose cockily.

It seemed the youngest Uchiha had turned into an idiot-magnet.

"Hardly," Sasuke scoffed, still glaring. Naruto was a little impressed that he could do both at once.

"Of course you are!" the boy spoke, nodding vigorously. "After all, we are Konoha's most feared Team Konohamaru! I'm the leader. My name is Konohamaru—"

"What an original team name..." Sasuke said, sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

Not even pausing at this, Konohamaru continued, "And these are my fellow team members, Udon and Moegi!" He pointed to them each in turn as they were introduced.

"I don't care," Sasuke deadpanned bluntly. The glare he directed at them could have frozen hell. The three backed away instinctually.

"I thought I told you that you needed to be nicer to people, asshole!" Naruto finally said, stepping forward. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Don't worry about him, guys. He's just a jerk."

'Just a jerk'? Sasuke repeated in his head, sending an unamused look at his blond haired companion.

"So, what does your team do?" Naruto inquired, grinning.

"I'm, um, glad you asked!" Konohamaru said, clearly trying to muster up his courage again after having been sent such a killer glare. "We are the forces of good, working to rid this world of evil. And you, mister," he pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, "must be a villain!"

Sasuke smirked. This kid didn't even know the half of it.

Naruto laughed. "What makes you say that? Sasuke is just Sasuke."

"He was trying to get Hanabi to play with us, but the maid lady who was watching over her took her away as soon as you arrived," Udon explained, wiping away a stray booger that threatened to fall from his nose. "Hey, can I go home now?"

Konohamaru turned bright red. "Th-that's not it at all!" he protested. "It's just that everyone who looks at him can tell he's evil. What, with that pitch-black hair, pale skin, in—"

"Hanabi..." Moegi scoffed resentfully, pointedly looking away from Konohamaru. She was glaring, and her posture clearly reflected that of a woman scorned.

"He looks like a vampire!" Konohamaru insisted desperately, waving his arms around wildly for emphasis.

"Uchiha-sama," interrupted a guard, his voice distinctly monotone. He seemed to appear from nowhere, causing Naruto and the members of Team Konohamaru to jump. Sasuke looked impassive.

"What is it?" the Uchiha asked.

"It's one of his evil minions!" Konohamaru squawked, running to hide behind Naruto for cover.

"If these children are being an annoyance, my men and I can remove them," the guard spoke, very slight uncertainty in his words.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Naruto said angrily, directing a glare at Sasuke and the bodyguard. "Try to, and I, Naruto Uzumaki, will kick your ass!"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru exclaimed, still half-hidden behind the cop.

"Can I go home now...?" Udon asked again. He was ignored.

Sasuke sighed, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Finally, he lifted his chin a little and spoke in a bored tone, "They're an annoyance, but it's nothing I can't handle. Your assistance isn't required. Get back into your position."

The man nodded before bowing and going to do as he was told.

Konohamaru peeked out from behind Naruto, looking hesitant. Naruto grinned at the boy. "He's gone," the blond said, as if to confirm the other's thoughts.

The effect was instantaneous. Konohamaru jumped out from behind Naruto and and puffed out his chest. "Heh. So maybe you're a good guy, after all," he spoke, pointing a casual finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke grunted. He didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the kid could think whatever he wanted. It's not like he had done it for him.

"And you!" Konohamaru exclaimed, turning to Naruto. "What you did... It was, you know, it was kind of cool. So, I'm officially making you my boss!"

"Your boss?" Naruto repeated, a Cheshire cat-like smile appearing on his face. Heh. He liked the sound of that...

"Yes!" Konohamaru confirmed, nodding vigorously.

A small sound of disbelief came from behind the two. "Boss?" Moegi questioned. "But...! But...! Konohamaru, you're our boss!"

"I still am," Konohamaru sniffed indignantly. "It's just that I'm going to be an apprentice of this guy while I lead you."

Udon nodded. "Makes sense to me," he said, grabbing a handkerchief out of his back pocket. He plucked his glasses off of his nose and began to clean them.

Moegi's eye twitched dangerously, but she didn't say anything else.

Konohamaru turned to Naruto. "So! Since you're my boss, you have to teach me all of the cool things you know!" he explained, his eyes strangely sparkly.

Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "Of course! First off, we'll—"

Sasuke coughed pointedly.

The blond quickly backpedaled. "Er, I mean... Um. This guy. Sasuke," Naruto jabbed a thumb in the Uchiha's direction, "We're kinda... Um. You know. Hanging out right now." The word 'date' lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. A light blush dusted his cheeks.

Sasuke scoffed, ignoring the slight sting he felt. Just hanging out, huh? That idiot...

"So... Yeah!" Naruto continued lamely. "Maybe some other time, okay?"

Konohamaru pouted. "No!" he whined. "Why don't we all just hang out together?"

"But I want to go home..." Udon was again ignored.

"I don't think we—"

"I know this area like the back of my hand!" Konohamaru bragged. "If you stick with me, you'll have ten, no, one hundred times more fun! So please, boss?" The sparkly eyes were back.

Glaring, Sasuke finally spoke up, "Beat it, kid. No means no." The threat in his voice was undeniable, telling Konohamaru in no uncertain terms that he had no qualms with calling one of his body guards back.

Naruto's temper flared. "Hey! I know I told you I'd spend time with you, but that doesn't mean you can go picking on people!"

Sasuke didn't miss the way Naruto again avoided using the word 'date.' Well, he'd just use it for him. "Dobe, in case you didn't know, a date is usually a two person activity."

Naruto turned bright red.

Konohamaru and Moegi gaped. Udon looked contemplative.

"Wait..." Moegi muttered to herself, her eyes wide as she tried to piece everything together in her head.

"Bastard! Did you really have to say..." Naruto trailed off, his face so red he was beginning to resemble a tomato.

"Two guys are on a date?" Konohamaru finally screeched.

"Wow..." Udon mumbled. "So it really does happen..."

Naruto's face somehow managed to turn even redder.

Sasuke's glare was almost deadly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Team Konohamaru seemed to shrink under the intimidating man's gaze. "Ah..." Konohamaru gulped. "That is..."

Before Naruto could intervene, an angry voice broke through the tense atmosphere. "Konohamaru!"

The boy in question flinched.

A bespectacled man angrily strode over to them, grabbing onto Konohamaru's arm as soon as he was close enough. "You're coming with me right now!" the man demanded.

"Noooo..." Konohamaru whined, but to no avail.

The man seemed to brace himself before lifting his head and sending a too-bright, extremely nervous smile at Sasuke and Naruto. "Ah... Hello," he began, self-consciously pushing his sunglasses higher up his nose. "You're Sasuke Uchiha-san, correct? I... My name is Ebisu, and I'm terribly, terribly sorry that my student has been bothering you. I can assure you it won't bother you again. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Hn."

"Um... Indeed." Ebisu's nervous smile seemed to grow impossibly larger. He tugged more forcefully on Konohamaru's arm. "We're going now," he stressed harshly to the child. Konohamaru pouted, but grudgingly allowed himself to be dragged off.

"Sorry, looks like we have to leave now," Udon apologized, allowing Moegi to grab his wrist as the two turned to follow Ebisu and Konohamaru.

"Um... Bye!" Moegi called, directing an uncertain look at the two as she ran off.

"Aw. They sure had to leave quickly," Naruto commented, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion.

"Whatever," Sasuke grunted in reply. As far as he was concerned, it was better that way, anyway.

As they were watching the four walk off, suddenly Konohamaru started struggling and broke free from Ebisu's grip. Before the man could process what was going on, Konohamaru took off back in Sasuke and Naruto's direction. Ebisu, having learned to expect things like this from his student, quickly recovered and began to chase after him, shouting the whole way.

Konohamaru skidded to a halt in front of Naruto and Sasuke, breathing hard. "Hey..." he said in between breaths. "If you guys are on a... erm... date... I would suggest going that way. There's this really big hill, and the view from it is awesome." Konohamaru whipped his head around, eyes widening when he saw how close Ebisu was to catching up with him. "Sorry, gotta go! See you!" With that, the boy once again took off.

There was a brief moment of silence. Naruto was the one to break it. "Well, what do you say? Want to go and check it out?" he inquired.

"Sure." Sasuke smirked. "Either way, it's probably better than the park."

Naruto sputtered in indignation. "Hey! The park was a great idea! It's not my fault some of us can't appreciate how awesome it is!"

"Excuse me for not having the body nor the mentality of a five-year-old."

The duo continued to bicker as they walked in the direction that Konohamaru had told them to go. Sasuke's guards followed, skillfully remaining discreet. They didn't even want to think of what their boss would do to them if they interrupted. It was weird for them to see him so animated.

"Oh, hey! I think that's the place!" Naruto said, pointing as a rather large hill came into view. He picked up his pace, wanting to see the 'awesome view' that Konohamaru had talked about. What could it be? A nice view of the city? A flower field? He hoped it wasn't the last one. That would be too girly for him.

"Hey! Be careful! Slow down, idiot!" Sasuke called as Naruto hurried ahead. Did the dobe want to lose his footing and fall? He couldn't afford to lose anymore brain cells if he hit his head.

Naruto ignored this. "Hey, bastard, bet I can beat you to the top!" he announced, jerking his thumb towards the imposing hill.

Sasuke scoffed. He was an Uchiha. He wasn't about to lose his composure over some taunting. "No. I decline," he said simply. His tone left no room for argument.

But Naruto wasn't one to be deterred. "Aw! Come on!"

"No."

The blond frowned. "Fine. Be that way. But I'm still going to get to the top before you!" With those final words, Naruto spun on his heels and took off up the hill.

Sasuke felt annoyance bubbling to the surface. Hadn't he just told Naruto to be careful? Whatever, the blond could just slip and fall for all the he cared. He followed after Naruto at a much more leisurely pace.

Naruto grinned widely as he ran. Messing around with Sasuke like this was so much fun. Just being with him left this strange, light feeling in his chest. Despite how much of a jerk Sasuke was, he wanted to stay with him as long as he could.

Just as he was about to reach the top, Naruto smirked and twisted around to face Sasuke, intent on bragging to him about his victory. However, it seemed the grass was still wet from the heavy rain they had had the other day. He tried to regain his balance, but the uneven slope he was on threw him off and he soon found himself falling. He let out a small, surprised, "Ah!"

Sasuke felt his heart momentarily stop when he saw his precious person begin to fall. He rushed forward, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Working mostly on instinct, he lurched forward and collided with the falling Naruto. The both rolled down the hill in a messy entanglement of limbs and curses, finally stopping when they'd reached the bottom.

There was a brief moment of silence as they both attempted to regain their bearings and assess the damage done to their bruised bodies.

Then, Sasuke's bodyguards were rushing forward. "Uchiha-sama!"

"Are you hurt, Uchiha-sama?"

Sasuke, for lack of better words, exploded.

"You total and complete moron!" the usually composed man screamed. "I told you to be careful, and what did you do? You fucking did the exact opposite! You careless idiot! What do I need to do to actually get you to listen? Can your pea-sized brain not even comprehend something as simple as 'slow down'? Stop doing stupid things!" Sasuke was breathing hard, his dark eyes glaring daggers at the bruised man beside him.

"Um, sorry?" Naruto laughed nervously and shot Sasuke a sheepish look.

Once again, a small silence permeated the area. Then, suddenly, Naruto burst out laughing, though he was unsure as to why he found the situation so funny. It just seemed silly. There he was—a poor cop, sprawled haphazardly on someone amazingly wealthy and powerful, but also one of the grumpiest people he had ever met. That, coupled with the expressions on Sasuke's body guards' faces and the fact that he had fallen down a feaking hill was almost too much to take.

Sasuke watched the other man for a moment before he gave a small, reluctant chuckle. Damn it, he was still mad! Why was Naruto's happiness so contagious?

As Naruto continued to laugh, Sasuke felt the last of his anger slip away.

He smiled.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Naruto was off of Sasuke so fast, one might have thought the other had physically burned him.

Iruka angrily stomped towards Naruto in a manner reminiscent of their earlier encounter with Ebisu. His attention was fully locked on Naruto, and he looked about ready to spit fire. The blond was terrified.

Sasuke lazily picked himself off of the ground, his expression reflecting his deep annoyance. Who the hell was this man? And how dare he interrupt his time with Naruto!

"I-Iruka-sensei..." Naruto stuttered, his voice high-pitched and nervous. He threw his hands up in front of himself cautiously; whether to help placate his former teacher or provide himself with some sort of flimsy defense was hard to tell.

"You are coming with me right now, Naruto!" Iruka stressed, reaching forward and snatching his former student's wrist. His expression would have made even the manliest of men cower in fear, and Naruto was no exception.

Sasuke, however, was. Like hell he was going to let Naruto be taken from him by some random stranger. He turned his deadly gaze onto the teacher, though Iruka was much too focused on Naruto to notice. In a voice that demanded absolute attention and compliance, he spoke, "Just who the hell are yo—"

"Iruka-chaaaaaan!"

A silver blur practically tackled Iruka, appearing to smother the other man with... love?

"K-Kakashi! What do you think you're...? Get off of me!" Iruka demanded, twisting around in a failed effort to dislodge the man from his back. The guy, Kakashi, remained steadfastly attached.

As Iruka growled and continued to futilely flail around, Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes met for a brief second. In that instant, Kakashi's one visible eye—the other was covered by some sort of cloth—narrowed viciously. Sasuke instinctually felt his hackles rise, and he returned the glare.

He could feel it. This man... This man was dangerous.

Iruka jostled the silver haired man particularly hard, causing their connection to break. Sasuke immediately and discreetly moved, placing himself closer to Naruto and in between the blond and Kakashi. The only one who seemed to take notice was Kakashi himself, whose eye briefly flickered back in their direction.

"Iruka-sensei...!" Naruto practically screamed, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "Who is this man? This...! This...!" He waved his hands frantically in Iruka and Kakashi's direction, seemingly unable to find the words to finish his sentence.

"Eh? 'Ruka, you haven't told your precious little Naruto about us?" Kakashi asked, his voice dripping with innocence. He nuzzled the crook of Iruka's neck. "Why, we're obviously lovers—"

"Friends," Iruka interrupted, glaring at Kakashi. He looked like his patience was about to snap. "We're friends. You could even say we're just acquaintances."

Kakashi pouted. "Maa... You're so mean, 'Ruka. I'm crushed."

"Iruka-sensei! What? I...! No! I forbid this!" Naruto yelled, panicked. He pushed past Sasuke, who reluctantly let him do so. The blond latched onto Kakashi's shoulder, pulling at him as hard as he could in an effort to get him off of Iruka. He wasn't going to let this crazy man have his Iruka-sensei! "Let go of him!" Naruto whined, continuing to pull as hard as he could.

"Nooooooo!" Kakashi cried, holding on to Iruka more tightly. "'Ruka, he's trying to separate us! This world is so cruel!" He started nuzzling Iruka's neck again. "But nothing can ever separate us!"

"I thought I told you to let go of me," Iruka said in reply, his voice low and menacing.

Kakashi froze.

Naruto dropped his grip on the man.

Then, chuckling nervously, Kakashi slid off of Iruka's back. "If you insist, love," he said.

"Thank you," Iruka nodded. He turned to Naruto, a demonic glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath—though it appeared to do nothing to calm him—before beginning, "Naruto..."

"HELP! Iruka-sensei is going to kill me!" Naruto screamed, immediately turning on his heels and rushing towards Sasuke. Iruka, quick as a snake, snapped his hand forward and caught the blond's arm, effectively thwarting his escape attempt. Sasuke was about to intervene, but a quick look from Kakashi made him pause.

"You little brat..." Iruka shook and tried to unsuccessfully blink away the tears welling up in his eyes. "You little brat..." he repeated, his watery eyes offsetting the glare he tried to shoot Naruto. Finally, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, dragging a stunned Naruto with him.

"Iru... Iruka-sensei?" Naruto ventured, his eyes wide. He tugged on Iruka's shirt, the familiar gesture a silent question. What's wrong?

That seemed to be all Iruka could take. He lurched forward and wrapped Naruto in a hug, the tears now flowing freely. It reminded the two of a time long ago; a time when Naruto was prone to acting out and doing things he shouldn't... A time when the both of them had needed a little reassurance that they weren't alone.

"Hey... Stop it... Now you're going to make me cry..." Naruto mumbled, burying his nose into Iruka's shoulder. True to his word, his blue eyes began to water, though he determinedly kept the tears from falling.

Sasuke looked away from the pair. He wasn't sure what sort of emotions he was supposed to be feeling, but he knew the two deserved a little bit of privacy. He was a little jealous, sure, but he could tell their relationship wasn't like that. A small seed of doubt sprung in his mind, but he was quick to squash it. Naruto was his. This was just... a sort of family love, he guessed. Not that he could say for sure, seeing as how he didn't have many personal experiences to base that assumption off of.

"Stop doing reckless things already," Iruka reprimanded, his voice weak. He pushed Naruto away a little, just enough so that he could make eye contact and effectively glare at the blond. "You think I enjoy worrying about you? Because I don't, Naruto."

"I didn't mean to worry you..." Naruto mumbled, averting his eyes and looking like a small child who was being reprimanded for something bad he'd done. Then, suddenly, his brows furrowed. "But, Iruka-sensei, I don't get it. What did I do?"

Sasuke's heart briefly stopped. His expression changed for the slightest second before reverting to his normal blank face.

"What did you do?" Iruka screeched in response. He appeared to be barely restraining himself from knocking Naruto upside the head. "Where should I start? You agree to do something stupidly dangerous, run off to do something on your own, and then disappear! You'll be lucky if I ever let you leave your home again!" he fumed.

Naruto's expression was strangely blank. He tilted his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

From the angry look on Iruka's face, this response only served to make him even angrier. "You should know by now that the innocent card doesn't work on me—"

"You're making me jealous, 'Ruka!" Kakashi declared, popping up out of nowhere and embracing both Naruto and Iruka. His visible eye was arched happily as Iruka struggled to get away from him. "Group hug!"

"I thought I told you to get off, Kakashi!" Iruka protested, a prominent blush adorning his cheeks.

"Ah. You did? Sorry, but not in front of the kiddies," Kakashi leered.

"What...? Oh, wait! No! Kakashi, I didn't mean it that way...! No, no, no! Quiet, you!" Iruka's tanned face had taken on such a distinctly red tone, it was a wonder the teacher didn't pass out.

Naruto sat perfectly still, his eyes strangely blank. Sasuke strode forward and grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling the suddenly compliant man up and out of Kakashi's hold. Still holding onto him, he began to walk and commanded, "Come, Naruto."

That seemed to snap Naruto out of his daze, though not completely. "Wait... Bastard, I can't..." he trailed off, blinking slowly. He then shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind and get rid of some pesky thought.

Iruka quickly realized what was going on and sprung to his feet. He was beside Naruto in a flash, Kakashi dutifully trailing after him. "No. Naruto is coming with me right this instant! He's made many people very worried about him, and he is going to apologize to each and every one of them. I'm sorry, but quite frankly, I don't care who you are. Naruto is not leaving with you." Determination shown from his posture; no one could mistake him for a weak man.

Sasuke stared at him. Though his expression was blank, his mind was going to mile a minute. To say he didn't want to leave Naruto—even if only for a short while—would be an extreme understatement, but the scene between Iruka and Naruto relentlessly assaulted his mind.

Finally, Sasuke gave Iruka a short, curt nod. If this was someone Naruto cared about, then he could allow it for a short while. Besides, it seemed like he could trust the man to take care of his dobe.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Naruto grumbled. His face wasn't quiet as expressionless anymore, Sasuke mentally noted.

"No," Iruka snapped briskly. "You don't. Now, hurry up! When Sakura called me, she was almost in tears! She's been searching for you nonstop! You should be ashamed of yourself, Naruto!" Iruka turned around, forcefully dragging Naruto back down the path they had taken.

"Sa... Sakura? I worried her?" Naruto's brow furrowed. Why was she worried? Something wasn't right. He recalled the feeling that had been plaguing him all day.

Just... Just what was he forgetting?

Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes once again caught each other as the silver-haired man was turning around to follow after Iruka and Naruto. Kakashi looked decidedly impassive, but the dangerous undertone in his posture was impossible for the Uchiha to miss. Sasuke smirked at him in return. Kakashi nodded before he turned and began skipping after his two companions, happily calling out, "Iruka-chan, wait up for me! You're so cold!"

Sasuke looked up at hill that he and Naruto had been heading for. They'd have to check out the view another day, it seemed. It didn't really matter. He had already taken the necessary measures to ensure that he and Naruto would be meeting up again very soon. He felt a sort of twisted happiness bubble up in his chest.

His bodyguards shifted warily as they stared at their boss.

Sasuke smiled darkly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to continue this. I lied. *dodges tomatoes*
> 
> Basically, I'm very easily flattered. When I saw all of your kind reviews, I decided to give in and write more of this since you guys wanted me to. I swear, I love each and every one of you.
> 
> Unfortunately, I am a slow writer. I'm sorry about that. I promise I'm working hard to cure myself of my laziness! It's just... It's not working. Hm.
> 
> Anyway, I originally wanted to write this whole second part and be done with it. Unfortunately, I like to ramble. So, when I hit 10,000 words (again) and wasn't even close to the end, I decided to split it into two. Heck, at this pace I might have to split it into three parts. Honestly, who knows with me?
> 
> Also, you all need to thank my wonderful beta, Chibi Chidori, for being so spectacular. Without her, this chapter would have been filled with all sorts of mistakes. Of course, if anyone sees any grammar or spelling mistakes, the fault is entirely my own! One of these days, I'll become a competent writer. Haha.
> 
> Speaking of which, I'm probably going to be going back and editing the first chapter of this soon. I've discovered many problems with the first part concerning grammar, and I fear I'll go insane if I don't fix them. Well, more insane than I already am. (Er.)
> 
> ~Riuolo


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter 3**

Something was fucking wrong.

Naruto glared at the wall in his apartment as if it had done him some deep, personal crime. To say he was frustrated would be an understatement. Every time—every single time—he tried to think of just what it was he was forgetting, his mind slid off track and automatically started thinking of something totally different. And when he forced himself to stay on track, forced himself to think of absolutely nothing else, his mind went... blank, for lack of better words.

Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was  _pissed off_.

"Still no luck?" Sakura asked, her voice coming from the doorway.

Naruto raised his blank eyes, taking in the pink haired woman. He mentally noted the way she worriedly bit her lip and wrung her hands, guilt stabbing him when he remembered that he was the reason she was so stressed out. His immediate instinct was to reassure her that all was well, but he knew he couldn't do that.

"Yeah," he confirmed, looking back at the wall. He didn't want to see her disappointed expression again.

Naruto heard her sigh. There was a brief moment of silence before Sakura sat down next to him, the bed shifting and creaking under her slight weight.

"Just keep trying, okay? I'm sure everything will come back to you soon," she said, rubbing his back reassuringly.

Naruto hummed noncommittally in response, though he leaned into her almost motherly touch. He wasn't sure what he should be thinking, and any form of comfort was welcome.

"Iruka-sensei is almost finished with dinner," Sakura told him, not so subtlety trying to get her friend's mind off of his current predicament. "He made you some homemade ramen. It looks really good.

That Kakashi guy was hanging off of him the entire time." She giggled, her free hand rising to cover her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to muffle the noise.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked, visibly perking up.

"Mmhm," Sakura hummed in reply, a smile on her face as she nodded. If it made Naruto happy, it made her happy.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, pumping a triumphant fist in the air. Thoughts of what were going on were still nagging at the back of his mind, but he needed a break. Maybe a nice, healing bowl of ramen would do the trick.

"Then let's go eat. You need to get out of your room, anyway. You're not meant to be a hermit," Sakura teased, standing back up and heading towards the kitchen.

"Coming!" Naruto said, hopping up and following after her. If his smile seemed a little forced, Sakura didn't comment on it.

Damn it, he would figure out what was going on if it killed him.

* * *

"Fucking Uchihas! I hate them all!" Tsunade fumed, pacing angrily in front of her desk. Her fists were clenched, and she looked about ready to punch someone out.

Shikamaru wisely stayed in his seat and out of her range.

"For whatever they did to mess with the brat's head, they can all burn in hell! Right along with mayor Danzo!" she continued, cracking her knuckles ominously. "I can't work on this case, huh? Well, fuck you, Danzo! Fuck you! This case is  _personal_  now!"

Finally, Shikamaru spoke up. "Chief Tsunade, I know you're angry about what happened with Naruto, but our hands are tied. There's not much we can do," he reasoned. While he also wanted to know what was going on, if only for Naruto and Neji's sake, they couldn't ignore a direct order.

He was really starting to wish he hadn't been left alone with his scary boss. In hindsight, he realized he probably should have begged to go with Neji and Tenten instead of agreeing to help Tsunade. It wasn't like they were getting much work done. Running all over town had sounded like a drag, though.

"There isn't, huh?" Tsunade replied, her lips twitching into a vicious and cunning smile. "Well, maybe not officially..."

Shit. Shikamaru sighed. How was it that he kept getting roped into troublesome situations? Sometimes he hated his life. "That is true..." he agreed warily.

"Shikamaru, call Tenten and tell her about the change of plans."

Shikamaru didn't hesitate to comply, especially after Tsunade started cackling in glee.

* * *

Naruto walked down the dimly lit street, his hands in his pockets and a frustrated expression on his face. He was heading back home from dinner at Iruka-sensei's house, which had been nice. Lately, everyone had taken to inviting him out to do things with them, probably to keep an eye on him.

While being around his friends had helped to clear his thoughts, now that he was alone again his worries were bugging him tenfold.

It had been almost a week since he had last seen Sasuke.

The time away from him hadn't made the situation any clearer to Naruto. His friends—the very friends he knew would never, ever lie to him—had a distinctly different recollection of the night when he and Sasuke had met. His friends had told him, insisted with a certainty and desperation that left little room for doubt, that Naruto had been at the Sabaku banquet that night with the intention of proving that the Uchihas were guilty of many illegal things, including the recent death of Hizashi Hyuuga.

But that didn't make any sense at all.

Naruto briefly closed his eyes and allowed his memories of that night to flash through his mind for perhaps the thousandth time that day.

In his mind's eye, he saw the lavish party he had been asked to attend of behalf of the Konoha police force. He'd been having a boring time and had decided to go out on one of the balconies to get some fresh air, if only to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the many guests.

There, he had met Sasuke. The guy was being his typical bastard self, but before too many words could be traded Naruto had seen the glint of a gun. Working on instinct, he had knocked Sasuke to the ground before he could be shot. There was a scuffle, and Sasuke's bodyguard took the gunman away. He had followed after Sasuke to give him a piece of his mind, and then they had done... that...

Naruto blushed lightly.

If his friends were telling him the truth, then why did he think he was there to represent Tsunade and the police force? It didn't make any sense!

Naruto angrily kicked a stray soda pop can that had been carelessly discarded.

He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling Sasuke was behind it. The next time he saw the bastard he was going to punch his lights out.

As if on cue, Naruto's apartment door came into sight. His hand stilled just as it began to reach into his pocket for his keys. Then, it slowly clenched into a fist.

There, looking frustratingly casual, stood Sasuke.

* * *

"Hey, Kakashi…?" Iruka began. He glanced to the side and looked out his kitchen window, unable to meet the other's eyes.

Kakashi looked up from his book, his mask obscuring his gentle smile. "Yes, Iruka?"

Iruka absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of his shirt, seeming to search for the right words. Naruto had gone home about half an hour ago, and ever since he had left the teacher's thoughts had been persistently nagging at him. He just… He couldn't figure out a way to phrase his thoughts without making himself sound like a silly worrywart. Finally, he decided to just go for it.

"Do you think that person, that…" Iruka wracked his memory for the name, "that Sasuke Uchiha, do you think he'll come looking for Naruto?"

Kakashi quietly closed his book, his single eye regarding the man sitting across the kitchen table from him. "Maa… Probably," he replied honestly.

Iruka sucked in a quick breath. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, "And Naruto?"

"Out of the two of us, I think you're the one best suited to answer that."

Iruka's hands clenched in to fists. Kakashi's trained eye quickly zeroed in on the movement.

Kakashi nodded. "I take it you don't like the answer to your question?"

Finally, Iruka turned his head away from the window to look at the silver haired man. His face said it all. "Yeah, Naruto… He's too reckless! He always rushes ahead without stopping to think of himself! What if he gets into some real trouble one day, and I can't help him? Naruto… That Naruto…" he trailed off, losing himself to his thoughts.

Kakashi stood up from his chair and walked over to Iruka. He lightly touched the other's hand, and instinctively it unclenched. "Just focus on crossing that bridge when you get there. I'll help you. We'll do it  _together_."

Iruka released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yeah…" he agreed. Then, finally, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened. "Wait, you're not trying to make a move on me, are you? Kakashi, I swear…!" He held up a threatening fist.

Kakashi chuckled and raised his hands, looking innocent. "Why Iruka, I wouldn't  _dream_ of taking advantage of—"

"Now is not the time, pervert!"

"I'm hurt. I'm just innocently standing here, being accused of things I didn't do…" Kakashi truly looked pitiful.

Iruka snorted. "'Innocently,' my ass."

"And what a fine ass it is," Kakashi observed, directing a look towards the mentioned body part.

"Kakashi…" Iruka warned, his glare venomous.

"I'm just telling the truth," Kakashi defended happily.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Really, Kakashi, focus. I need to know…" He straightened up, looking Kakashi directly in the eyes. "I need to know what I can do. Just tell me that."

Kakashi 'hmm'ed, appearing to contemplate this. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Against an Uchiha, what  _can_  you do…?"

* * *

"You…" Naruto ground out, his teeth gnashing together viciously. He could sense the frustration and desperation he had felt the entire week bubbling to the surface, and he very much wanted to hit something; preferably Sasuke's smug face.

"Me," Sasuke replied simply, raising a mocking eyebrow. "Miss me, dobe?"

Not in the mood to bother with words, Naruto rushed forward and sent a hard right swing right into the side of Sasuke's face. He felt grim satisfaction when the punch connected with a solid _whack_.

The momentum sent Sasuke staggering backwards in surprise. "What the  _fuck_?" Sasuke demanded, sending Naruto a vicious glare. His cheek throbbed in pain, and he had to resist the urge to rub his hand over it to help ease the ache. His blond idiot was stronger than he looked.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto questioned harshly, his breathing hard and his expression furious. When Sasuke didn't immediately answer, the blond reached out and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his expensive shirt. "Answer me, bastard!"

Sasuke chuckled, his face morphing into a darkly amused expression. "I wonder…" he trailed off, purposefully riling up Naruto even more. It worked.

Naruto growled in annoyance and snapped his arm forward with the intent of smashing Sasuke's face in. The Uchiha, now prepared for such a move, easily caught the fist. Before Naruto could react, he slipped from the blond's hold and twisted his arm behind his back. Naruto struggled, but Sasuke's grip was unrelenting.

"This is, what, the second time we've ended up in this position?" Sasuke wondered quietly to himself, a small smirk on his face.

"What?" Naruto growled, furious about how he was being manhandled. What was the bastard going on about now? They had never fought like this before!

"Nothing," Sasuke dismissed, shaking his head. He decided to use his position to his advantage and buried his nose into the crook of Naruto's neck, making the man jump in surprise. Just as Naruto was about to protest this, Sasuke spoke up again, his voice a little muffled due to his mouth being pressed against Naruto's shoulder, "You want to know what I 'did' to you, hm?"

Naruto tensed even more, feeling as if he was on the verge of snapping. "Of course!"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do anything?"

"No way in hell!" Naruto glared, desperately wishing his hands were free so that he could throw another punch at Sasuke. As  _if_  he was about to believe him! Ha!

"Heh," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto didn't quite know what to make of that, so he opted for struggling harder.

Finally, Sasuke loosened his grip on his opponent's arm. Naruto didn't hesitate to take advantage of this and angrily pushed away from the Uchiha. Then, true to his earlier mental promise to himself, he swung his arm around aimed another fist right at Sasuke's smug expression.

Again, Sasuke caught Naruto's arm right before the punch had a chance to connect. "Unlike you, I'm not about to fall for the same thing twice," he warned, his voice strangely monotone.

Though he'd never admit it to anyone, Sasuke's dark words made a nervous feeling wrack through Naruto's body. This guy… Still, despite this he squared his shoulders and yanked his arm out of his opponent's grip. "Ha… Am I supposed to be scared, bastard?" Naruto boasted, puffing his chest out the tiniest bit.

Sasuke ignored this, his attention suddenly focused on what he noticed from the corner of his eyes. He could see Naruto's neighbors peeking out from behind their curtains, and that usually never ended well. Damn it. He'd take care of it later.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?" Naruto demanded, looking petulant. The nerve of the Uchiha…!

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto. He regarded him for a few moments before turning and heading back down the hall. "Follow me," he ordered.

"What?" Naruto squawked. Did Sasuke think he was stupid? The last time Naruto had followed him, he had ended up with amnesia! At least, he was pretty sure that was what happened… He couldn't really trust his memories, but he was  _pretty sure_ … Oh, whatever! He wasn't following Sasuke, and that was that!

Sasuke paused. "Do you want answers or not?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and examine Naruto's expression. He already knew what his response would be.

At this, Naruto's teeth gnashed together and he glared. "So what if I do?" he ground out.

"Then you'll stop the unnecessary babbling and follow me," Sasuke answered simply. He started walking again.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Naruto. "Che…" he mumbled defiantly, shaking his head.

Then, Naruto put one foot in front of the other and ran after Sasuke. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

* * *

"Looks like I'm needed back at the station," Tenten informed, snapping her cellphone shut. She shoved the device hastily into her pocket and spun on her heels, heading for the nearest street so that she could hail a taxicab.

"Wait," Neji spoke, stopping her. He frowned. "' _I'm_ '? Don't you mean ' _we're_ '?"

Tenten turned back to look at him, and the way she unconsciously bit her lip told Neji everything he needed to know.

"No," Neji said, shaking his head. " _No_. You're not leaving me out of this now. I refuse."

"Neji…" Tenten sighed. "Listen, you've done enough. It's okay. We'll handle it from here. In all honesty, you shouldn't have become this involved to begin with. We all know he was your father, but you're not actually part of the police force."

Neji glared, refusing to back down. "You all need me, and I can't not be a part of this. No matter what moronic plan it is you guys have up your sleeve, I'm going to be helping you."

Tenten's brow furrowed and she took a few steps towards the Hyuuga. When she spoke, her voice was as determined as it was hesitant. "I know you're hurting right now, but this isn't the right way to go about it. Go home and help the other people in your family who have been affected by this. You all need each other right now."

Unbidden, an image of a tearful Hinata-sama and a strangely stoic Hanabi-sama flashed through Neji's mind. His fists clenched. "This  _is_  how I'll be helping them," he explained through gritted teeth.

"What? By running around and risking your own life?" Tenten shook her head. "Somehow, I don't think that would make them happy."

The dull pain in his chest that Neji had been carrying with him since his father's death suddenly throbbed viciously. He resisted the urge to place a comforting hand over his heart. Tenten, understandably oblivious to this, continued.

"I'm worried for you, Neji. You shouldn't be stressing yourself like this; you should be grieving. You're not allowing yourself time to heal."

"No…"

"You're my friend. I don't want you to have to be like this. Besides, what it sounds like we're going to be doing…" Tenten bit her lip again. "It would be better for you if you didn't get involved, you know? I'm serious. I—"

"Just what do YOU know?" Neji exploded.

Tenten jumped, surprised at how loud and angry the Hyuuga's voice had become. What…?

Neji glared for all he was worth. It was true. What  _did_  she know? This Tenten, a woman who he had met only the other day, how could she even begin to understand what he was feeling? She couldn't. All she could do was sit there and spout pretty words while he was in real pain; while he was doing all he could to make things  _right_  again. In his mind's eye, he could still see his father smiling gently at him… telling him things would be okay… Neji trembled slightly.

Tenten's eyes softened. Finally, she stepped forward and gently touched the Hyuuga's arm. "I'm sorry," she apologized. And she meant it. Seeing him like this… She really, really meant it.

There was a long moment of silence.

Neji looked away, unable to meet Tenten's gaze. "It's fine. Please forgive me for my earlier outburst."

Tenten smiled and shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive. Now, come on! We need to get to the station. From the sounds of it, things are about to get really interesting." She turned on her heels and headed back down the street, eager to find a cab.

"Yes," Neji agreed, following after the brunette. However, just as they reached the road, a certain vehicle driving by caught their eyes.

Tenten gasped. "That's the Uchiha's limo!" she exclaimed.

"It's their license plate," Neji confirmed, looking grim. Without a second thought, the two started racing after the car, though it was futile. Seconds later, the limo was lost to them in the maze of traffic.

"No, no, no!" Tenten cried out, frustrated.

Neji looked back in the direction the limo had came from, his face grim. "Officer Uzumaki's apartment is in that direction…"

Tenten's heart sank in her chest. "You don't think…"

Neji was silent. She took this as the confirmation it was.

"No… This isn't good…"

* * *

Naruto shivered as he took in his surroundings.

"Hey…" he started, looking nervously around at everything. "Where are we?"

They had just exited the vehicle after having driven for a long time, or at least what had seemed that way to the impatient Naruto. During the whole trip, Sasuke had resolutely deflected all of the many questions the blond had thrown at him, leaving Naruto frustrated. However, looking around the place they had wound up… He gulped. Yes, he was definitely feeling more nervousness and agitation— _not deep fear_ , he shakily told himself in what he hoped was a firm manner—than he was frustration.

Really… Sasuke couldn't have taken him to… He couldn't. He  _wouldn't_.

"This is the private Uchiha family cemetery," Sasuke replied, taking out a set out keys from his pocket and strolling up to the gate to unlock the heavy padlock.

Naruto felt a strong shiver wrack his entire body. "C-cemetery?" he squeaked out. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid…

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed, successfully opening the lock. He began pushing open the gate, and the horrifying creaking noise it made caused Naruto's eyes to bug out.

"But the ghosts…!" Naruto protested, the words coming out before he could stop them. Suddenly realizing what he had said, he hastily clasped a hand over his mouth.

Sasuke paused. Then he turned around to look back at Naruto, an incredulous eyebrow raised. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts," he scoffed.

"N-no!" Naruto denied, shifting warily from foot to foot. He looked as if he was about to bolt. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I don't get scared because of stupid, childish things! It's just that if they, you know, attack or something, I don't know if I'm currently properly equipped to defend myself from such an assault, and… Stop smirking, bastard!" A light blush dusted Naruto's cheeks. "Stop it right now! You won't think it's so funny when a ghost comes and starts messing with you! Then you'll be going, 'Naruto, you were right all along! Please, incredibly handsome upholder of justice, save me!'" Naruto said, doing his best to mimic Sasuke's voice at the end and failing.

Sasuke's wicked smirk widened in response to this. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the 'ghosts,'" he reassured mockingly. "None of them will get you with me around. Now, come on. Do you want your answers or not? I don't want to stand here all day." With that, he started walking through the gate.

"Come back!" Naruto immediately exclaimed, bolting after Sasuke. "D-don't leave me alone, jerk! How am I supposed to, er, properly protect you if you—"

Sasuke gently grabbed Naruto's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Just stay close to me, idiot. You'll be fine," he reassured. He glanced away, but gave Naruto's hand a comforting squeeze.

This stopped all of Naruto's protesting. He blinked. Then, slowly, a smile lit up his face and he squeezed his hand back. "… You'd better be right," he mumbled, his petulant voice not matching the grin on his face. This was so weird. Just earlier, he and the bastard had been trading fists. But somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He was certainly still fucking angry, but… Sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with his head.

For a short while, they walked the dimly lit path of the private cemetery in silence. Occasionally, Naruto would warily side-eye some of the tombstones they passed or jump when he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but it wasn't as bad at it could have been. Soon, a building came into view. It was on top of a small hill and was a fair distance away, making it hard to tell what it was.

Just as Naruto was opening his mouth to ask, Sasuke spoke up. "It's a temple," he said, leaving it at that.

Naruto closed his mouth, accepting this. Finally, the two stopped in front of a large, wide tombstone. Before Naruto could lean forward and inspect the information on it, Sasuke began speaking.

"This," he began, his voice even more emotionless than normal, "is where my parents are buried."

A cold chill swept through Naruto's body at the words.

He wanted to say something in response, but what? 'I'm sorry'? Or, 'Oh, hey, both of my parents are dead, too'? Somehow, nothing like that seemed right for this situation. And so, for once Naruto remained quiet, silently urging Sasuke to continue. He did.

"It has been said the Uchiha family is blessed; it has been said that we are cursed. People say a lot of things." Sasuke glanced up at the sky. Naruto followed his gaze, but only saw the night sky.

"Yes, people say a lot of things," Sasuke repeated firmly. "Much of it—too much of it—is stupid, but not all of it…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. Finally, he spoke up. "Just what are you saying?"

There was silence. For a while, Naruto wondered if he has said something wrong. But he was just so impatient! He wanted Sasuke to get on with it already. Why was he here? What was wrong with his memories? Had he really been responsible for the death of Neji's father? He didn't want these questions bugging him anymore! He deserved answers!

Finally, Sasuke sighed. "Moron. I just practically told you, and you still can't even connect the dots…"

Naruto scowled, yanking his hand out of Sasuke's. If his hand felt colder, well… He decided not to think about it. "I didn't come here for your vague bullshit, Uchiha," he growled. "I don't want to play games; not with this. Tell me what's going on right now."

"My parents were both murdered."

Naruto stiffened, eyes widening and mouth dropping open from shock.

Sasuke's mind appeared to be elsewhere, his eyes still firmly locked on the sky. He absentmindedly touched his hand to the cheek Naruto earlier punched. It was already starting to bruise.

"No one knows who did it. Even with my family's limitless resources, we never found out. Now it's just my brother and I," Sasuke said, reciting the words as expressionlessly as if he were reading them for a report. It was just the cold, hard facts. It was easier to deal with that way.

Despite the flicker of sympathy Naruto felt, something else started boiling in his chest.  _Anger_. Something in him snapped, and his breathing started to become ragged. "You…" he growled, looking truly mad. "You unbelievable selfish, cruel  _bastard_. Don't you dare tell me… Do you really think something like that gives you the right to screw up others' lives? You have  _no right_! No right!" He punched the closest thing—a tree. The bark dug painfully into his hand, causing it to bleed, but the blond paid it no attention. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Sasuke finally glanced back at Naruto, his expression unchanging. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."

"You're a spoiled brat!" Naruto raged. He'd be damned if he let Sasuke off the hook. He still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but if the other honestly thought that… No way.

Sasuke looked mildly disappointed. "You're still not getting it."

"Screw you! I understand everything I need to just fine. I'm not about to just stand back and let you do what you want. You want to know why? Because  _I…_ " Naruto glared, "am Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Then, slowly, a slightly fond expression crossed his features. "…Yes," he agreed.

Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Seeming to loose his steam, his injured hand gently fell to his side. "Listen, will you let me know what's going on already? I need to know. Depending on your answer, I may or may not rip you a new one." He tried to grin, but it was too forced, too unnatural, to be genuine.

Sasuke's eyes slowly closed. "I just met you the other day. Why should I tell you? Give me one good reason."

"Because I'll help you."

The Uchiha's eyes snapped back open. "What did you say?" he demanded, wondering if he had heard him wrong.

"I'll help you," Naruto said again, the determination in his voice undeniable. He took a step forward. "I… Heh… I'm an orphan, too, you know? And while you're about the shittiest person I've ever met, I won't let you go through all of this alone. Have a little faith."

Sasuke's penetrating, almost invasive gaze seemed to pick Naruto apart, staring him down with such a seriousness that it made the Uzumaki more than a little uncomfortable. Unable to take the silence, Naruto spoke again, sounding a little nervous. "So? Are you going to tell me or not?"

Sasuke released a labored sigh. Then, giving Naruto the tiniest of smiles, he said, "Fine, I'll spell things out for you; only for you. I'd better not live to regret this, dobe."

Naruto returned the smile.

Then, standing right there in front of his parents' graves, Sasuke began.

"I told you earlier that the Uchihas are said to be both cursed and blessed. In a way, I meant this figuratively, but mostly…" His eyes slid shut. "The blessing and curse I'm talking about is a very real thing." Here, Sasuke truly looked hesitant.

Though in his head he was practically screaming for answers, Naruto recognized that what Sasuke was about to tell him was probably a major secret. He could practically see the Uchiha wavering, wondering if all of this was really for the best. "…Go on," Naruto urged seriously.

Sasuke composed himself, nodding slightly in affirmation. "A little over a decade ago, it is said my uncle Madara Uchiha made a deal with the devil himself."

"The devil?" Naruto repeated, eyes widening. That didn't sound good. And why wouldn't Sasuke open his eyes and look at him?

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "Don't interrupt me, idiot. Madara wanted more power—power get back at those he felt had wronged him. He also wanted it to be so that no one could ever stand in his way again. My family had many enemies at that time. In exchange for his soul, the devil granted him this power. Madara soon gained an even vaster amount of wealth and skills, and an ability called the sharingan."

Suddenly, a brief flash of a buried memory appeared before Naruto's eyes. '… _we were always on equal footing with each other. No matter what, it was always impossible for one business to completely outdo the other. Most of the time, this caused a lot of frustration on both ends, but, simply put, it worked. However, in the past decade or so, something has changed. At first, everyone thought it was just a brief acquisition of power. It was believed that it would pass or that we would be quick to catch up. However..._ ' Neji… Neji had said that, hadn't he? Naruto couldn't remember for sure… His heart started to beat just a little faster. "What is the sharingan?" he questioned.

Sasuke finally opened his eyes. Startlingly familiar red eyes, three tomoe surrounding their respective pupils, stared Naruto down.

"That…" Naruto started, wide-eyed. Suddenly, realization set in and he felt his heart sink. "You've used those on me…" he breathed, shocked. When Sasuke only continued to stare, Naruto felt his temper flare. "Well? Did you or didn't you?"

"I did," Sasuke finally replied, looking grim.

Naruto practically chocked on his own spit. "What exactly did you do?" he demanded.

"My sharingan allowed me to enter your subconscious. There, I buried a few memories of our meeting and used my hypnosis to plant new ones," Sasuke revealed, closing his eyes again.

Suddenly, the memory of the strange dream he had had flashed before his mind. So that was what had happened to him… Naruto shook his head, determined to clear his thought. He needed everything answered before he could start doing anything. "And Neji's father?"

At this, Sasuke hesitated again. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know," he admitted.

These words caused a surge of confusion to break through the anger Naruto felt. "Huh?" he said, dumbstruck. "What do you mean you 'don't know'? Either you were responsible for it or you weren't!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. If anyone were to handle that sort of… affair… it would be my brother."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with a discerning eye, trying to detect any hint of a lie in his tone or posture. Unable to find any, he hesitatingly moved forward and grabbed Sasuke's hand. "Can you give me my real memory of that night back?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, seemingly unable to speak.

Naruto felt relief wash through him. He was so glad… He hated thinking his memories weren't real. Especially if it was a memory as important as the night he had met Sasuke. Now… "Why did you do that to me?"

Naruto watched as Sasuke's eyes—sharingan still activated—slowly slid towards the grave that held his parents. Then, with a startling rush of clarity, he realized that Sasuke hadn't wanted him to leave, as well. Startling warmth bubbled up in the blond's chest, and a gentle smile lit up his face. Squeezing Sasuke's hand, he sternly said, "Don't ever do something like that to me again. I'll kick your ass if you do."

Sasuke looked down at Naruto's eyes, obviously wondering if he should agree to such a thing. Finally, he shook his head. "Fine," he agreed, his voice soft.

"Good." Naruto nodded, satisfied with this answer. He wasn't quite sure what he would have done if Sasuke had disagreed.

Face blank, Sasuke asked, "So, I suppose you want me to give you your memories back now."

Naruto shook his head. Ha! As if. They had bigger fish to fry. "Nope! We can do that later. Right now, I need you to take me to your brother," he said, determination oozing from him.

Sasuke couldn't help it; his eyes bugged. "You want to see Itachi?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed. What was so hard to grasp about that? "You said he's the one with answers, right? So I'm going to go talk to him."

Sasuke glared. "I am not taking you to see Itachi. If anything, I'm going to be keeping you as far away from that crazy bastard as I can."

"What?" Naruto squawked, momentarily thrown off track.

"I'll say it again: I am not taking you to see Itachi."

"What are you…? Hey, listen! This isn't about you anymore!" Naruto yelled, indignant. "This is about a friend of mine, so don't think you can do anything about it!" He was completely serious. There was no way he was going to let the bitchy Uchiha stop him.

"Hn. You say that as if you think it will change my mind," Sasuke said, scoffing.

Sasuke and Naruto began to glare each other down, each one refusing back down.

Then, slowly, a fox-like smirk spread across Naruto's face. "You know…" he began, his voice having a distinctly mischievous edge to it. "It doesn't even matter if you take me to see him or not. I'll go with or without your help. That just means I get to do things my own way." He snickered, already plotting ways he could go about accomplishing his goal.

Oh, God. Sasuke didn't like the sound of that, not at all. Images of what Naruto might do flashed before his mind, each one more impossible than the last. But he knew… he knew… Naruto would probably try to do them. Shit.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Somehow, the sly grin on Naruto's face grew even bigger. "Oh, I would."

Sasuke glared harder at the blond. "He probably won't tell you anything."

"Ha. As if I'll let him do that. So, are you going to help me or not?" Naruto asked, his voice deceptively innocent.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wasn't usually one to be blackmailed, but he didn't want his dobe to run off after his brother and get himself maimed or killed. Finally, lips pursed in agitation, he decided to compromise. "…Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."

Naruto pouted. "Do I have to?" Seriously, in the words of Shikamaru, what a pain.

Sasuke glared back at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

"Okay, okay!" Naruto relented, throwing his free hand up in a form of surrender. "What are your, er, stapleations?"

"The word is 'stipulations,' moron," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes and silently praying for patience. "First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there. Secondly, do not look him in the eyes. And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse." These rules were of the utmost importance. If Naruto could follow them, then maybe Sasuke wouldn't have to worry as much.

Naruto reluctantly nodded in agreement. Those wouldn't be  _too_  hard to follow, he supposed…

Sasuke nodded back, satisfied with this.

Glad that that was out of the way, Naruto tugged on Sasuke's hand. "Now, c'mon. Let's go." He started pulling Sasuke in the direction of the exit, wanting to get out of this creepy cemetery and to Itachi as soon as he could.

As he was being dragged away, Sasuke allowed himself one last look at his parents' graves. He couldn't help but silently wonder… Would they have approved of his blond moron?

Somehow, as he felt a gentle wind briefly surround him, he couldn't help but think that maybe they already had.

* * *

"Ehhh? Itachi isn't here? The hell? I psyched myself up and everything!" Naruto whined, flopping onto a chair in Sasuke's room.

Sasuke looked unfazed. "It can't be helped. My brother has better things to do than sit around here all day, idiot."

"But still…" Naruto mumbled, feeling petulant. He frowned. "I don't want to just sit here waiting. That's so boring. Besides, this is important! Can't you just call him or something?" Damn it, it was of the utmost importance that he talked to Itachi Uchiha right now!

While Sasuke had gotten to a point where he barely gave two shits about Itachi, he couldn't help but start to feel a little sorry for what the man was going to have to deal with as he listened to Naruto go on and on. "No, I cannot. He left a message with the butler about not contacting him unless the matter was urgent, and I'm sure talking to you isn't high on his list of priorities," he dismissed. "You'll have to wait."

"This  _is_  urgent!" Naruto burst out, glaring. How dare Sasuke? "You bastard, this is about the death of a person, and you… you…" He felt frustration bubble in his chest, and against his better judgment angry tears began to well up in his eyes.

Sasuke paused, his heart speeding up as he noticed this. "Hey, don't…" he began, unsure of how to go about comforting his dobe. Finally, he crouched down in front of the chair the other was sitting in, making it so they were eye level. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you're worried about your friend. You will get to speak with Itachi, I promise."  _So don't cry…_  the Uchiha mentally added.

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears from his eyes. Finally, it seemed to work. "You'd better be telling the truth," he murmured, voice strangely hushed.

"I am," Sasuke replied. They stayed in that position, looking at each other for a long while. All the while, a dark thought nagged at the back of Sasuke's mind, threatening to drive him crazy. Finally, it seemed he simply couldn't take it anymore. Smiling darkly, he bitterly spoke, "Hn. It seems that you care more about your friend than you do me."

These words successfully confused Naruto. "Huh?" came the oh-so-articulate reply. What was Sasuke talking about?

Bitter tone unchanging, Sasuke continued, "You should know just as well as I do that if Itachi is charged, a negative spotlight will be cast on me. I might even be charged as an accomplice. In case your small brain doesn't comprehend this, that means I could go to jail, dobe."

"What are you…? But…" Somehow, Naruto managed to look even more confused. "I don't get it. You told me you didn't have anything to do with the murder. Why would you be charged, too?"

Sasuke shook his head. He could hardly believe it. "Idiot, don't tell me you didn't realize… Depending on what evidence is found, I could very well be charged and sentenced right along with Itachi."

"But you're innocent!" Naruto protested. Innocent people didn't go to jail, only guilty people did! That was how it worked!

"Hn. Other people might not be so inclined to believe that," Sasuke replied. And it was true. He had many enemies, and he was sure they would love to have both himself and Itachi out of the picture. Besides, while he hadn't ordered the killing, he had done enough stuff in the past that that hardly mattered.

"No," Naruto said resolutely, shaking his head. "That's not going to happen."

Sasuke sighed. "You don't know that—"

"I do!" Naruto interrupted, glaring stubbornly at Sasuke. He wasn't about to let him continue saying stupid things. "I told you I was going to help you earlier, and I am! And, as  _strange_  as it is," his voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, "helping you includes not having you sent to jail!"

Sasuke frowned. It seemed that Naruto was trying to avoid reality. "Naruto, there is only so much you can do," he reasoned. "You need to accept that."

Naruto gave a huff of indignation. "Yeah?" he retorted. "You obviously haven't been exposed to enough of my awesomeness. I am Naruto-freaking-Uzumaki. When I say I'll do something, I damn well do it!"

Sasuke let out a noise that might have been a laugh had it not sounded so choked.

"Now, it looks like it's really, really late," Naruto observed, spotting the clock on Sasuke's bedside table. It read 2:42 a.m. He winced. "It's time to stop being an idiot and go to sleep. Call one of your drivers or chauffeurs or whatever so I can go home. I don't feel like walking right now." He tiredly attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes, but failed. It had been a really long day, and he was so sleepy…

Sasuke shook his head, still unable to believe just how overconfident Naruto could be. Deciding to just let the matter be for now—he'd be sure to discuss it more at length later—he replied, "Fine, but I'm not calling one of my chauffeurs. From the looks of it, you're about to pass out. You're sleeping here with me."

Despite his fatigue, Naruto's eyes popped open. "S-sleep here? With you?" he squeaked out. He glanced at the bed, and immediately a bright blush lit up his face. That was where they had… er… He looked back at Sasuke. "I don't think that's the best idea," he finished weakly.

Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Naruto was being ridiculous. Albeit, kind of cute—not that he'd ever admit that to anyone—but ridiculous. "You're sleeping here. You look like you're seconds away from passing out, and you need all of the rest you can get." Besides, he'd be able to keep a better eye on the moron if he stayed here.

"But…" Naruto trailed off, his self-preservation warring with his need for immediate sleep.

Sasuke decided to go in for the metaphorical kill. "If you sleep here, you'll have a better chance at meeting Itachi."

At this, Naruto straightened up. That… That was very true. "…Alright," he reluctantly agreed. He stood up and followed Sasuke over to the huge bed, but stopped just short of getting in. "I, uh," he wracked his brains for an excuse, "don't have my, er, pajamas. Darn. Looks like I need to go home and, you know, stay there. Sorry!" He began to make a mad dash for the door, but Sasuke quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him before he could get very far.

Sasuke scoffed. "You'll be fine sleeping in your regular clothes for one night. Unless you'd like to borrow some of mine…" he said slyly, a smirk on his face. "Or you could just sleep in your boxers."

"No, no!" Naruto hastily replied, turning red again. "That really won't be necessary. Now that I think about it, my clothes are comfy!  _Very_  comfy, even. I'll just sleep in them!" He began tugging at his arm, silently asking for freedom.

Sasuke finally let him go, and Naruto practically bolted for the bed. He got in and positioned himself at the very edge, lying so precariously it was a surprise he didn't fall off. Sasuke smirked at this, shaking his head in slight amazement.

The dark haired man slid in after the blond, choosing a spot closer to the center. He motioned for Naruto to come closer—there was certainly enough room for him to—but the man stubbornly stayed where he was, all the while mumbling to himself about perverts who didn't understand the concept of personal boundaries.

Soon, though, Naruto was unable to resist sleep's call. A few minutes after the blond's blue eyes slid shut and his breathing evened out, Sasuke gently reached out an arm and tugged the Uzumaki away from the edge of the bed. Naruto mumbled something unrecognizable, but didn't wake up. Only after this did Sasuke allow himself to join Naruto in slumber.

When Naruto's eyes finally blinked back open several hours later, the first thing he noticed was the lack of Sasuke. He rolled over, an uncoordinated arm lazily landing where Sasuke should have been. The spot was still warm, so he couldn't have been gone for long…

Naruto sat up, looking around the room. Nope, still no Sasuke. What was going on? He hoped Sasuke wasn't going to make a habit out of this. If he was being forced to sleep in the same bed, then common courtesy said the bastard should at least, y'know, shake him awake and tell him he's leaving or something. Of course, when was the bastard ever polite?

The Uzumaki slid out of bed, looking worse for wear. His hair was even more messy than normal, his eyes were bleary, and his clothes were rumpled. "Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled out, as if saying his name would magically make the Uchiha appear. When it didn't, he took a moment to inspect the room. Really, where could Sasuke of gone off to?

He went over to the door and twisted the handle, eyes widening in shock when it actually opened. For some reason, he thought it would be locked… Naruto cracked open the door and peeked out, not spotting anyone. "Sasuke?" he hesitantly called.

"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?"

Naruto's body jerked in surprise, and he barely missed hitting his head against the doorframe. Heart racing, he whipped around to face the unfamiliar man, who was suddenly staring at him from the other side of the door.

"Who are…?" Naruto began, but suddenly he trailed off and his eyes widened. This man… he really resembled Sasuke. So that meant… "You're Itachi Uchiha!"

Itachi nodded, confirming this, but otherwise remained silent.

Naruto gulped. "So you are him…" he mumbled to himself. Then, without warning, he began to recall Sasuke's words from earlier.

"… _Fine, but you'll have to agree to a few stipulations."_

"Were you the one who wanted to speak with me?" Itachi repeated, his voice as blank as his expression.

" _First, you will not be talking to him by yourself. I will be there."_

"Tch," Naruto mumbled softly to himself, frustrated. Then, more loudly, he said, "So what if I am?" Damn it, what should he do…?

Itachi turned and began heading down the hall. "Then I suggest you follow me; I won't be here for long." He disappeared behind a corner, and Naruto panicked.

He couldn't let Itachi just walk away like that! But what about Sasuke? Naruto wavered, briefly facing a moral dilemma. He had told Sasuke he wouldn't talk to his brother without him, but Itachi was getting away! Damn it, this was that bastard's entire fault! If he wouldn't of just left him his morning…

As a few moments passed, Naruto's panic grew. What if this was his only chance to talk to Itachi? He needed answers, and if he were to just let the man get away… Shit, shit, shit!

On instinct, Naruto began to rush after Itachi. He caught up just as the man was entering into a room—presumably his office. "Hey!" he called, stopping just short of following Itachi inside. "Where's Sasuke?"

Itachi turned, raising an eyebrow at how familiarly the blond said his little bother's name. He didn't verbally comment on this, however. "He had to leave the premises to take care of some matters. Now, come in," he commanded, stepping aside to allow Naruto entrance.

Once again, Naruto hesitated. Technically, he hadn't given Sasuke his word earlier. He had just, well, nodded, which could have meant anything, right? Right. However, he knew Sasuke wouldn't be happy when he came back if he found out he had talked to Itachi. But at the same time, why should that matter? He had said earlier that this wasn't about Sasuke, and he meant it. Still…

Finally, Naruto shook his head. Very reluctantly, he said, "Sorry, but I can't right now. We'll talk later, oka—AH!" Naruto was abruptly yanked into the room, much to his surprise. The door quickly slammed shut with an ominous  _thud_ , and that was when the Uzumaki knew he was in trouble. "What did you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing his sore butt to try and ease some of the pain.

"I don't have all day," Itachi replied simply, elegantly taking a seat in one of the many opulent, plush-looking chairs that decorated the room. He gestured for Naruto to do the same, but only received a glare in return.

"I thought I told you I couldn't talk to you right now," Naruto stated through gritted teeth, clumsily pulling himself back onto his feet. Was this guy looking for a fight?

Calmly, Itachi leveled Naruto with a hard gaze, and the blond realized with a start that his eyes were tinted red. Oh, shit…

" _Secondly, do not look him in the eyes."_

"We're talking now," Itachi ordered.

Naruto helplessly nodded before following Itachi's earlier lead and taking a seat.

"Now," Itachi began, professionally interlacing his fingers in a steeple so that they covered most of lower face. "What was so important that you resorted to following me into my own house just to talk to me about it?" His hard gaze was weirdly unwavering, making Naruto wonder to himself just how long Itachi could go without blinking.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that! "Yeah, you better believe I have something important to talk to you about," he said angrily. He wasn't about to waste any more time. If Sasuke wasn't here, that was his own fault. "Let's cut to the chase. What did you have to do with the death of Hizashi Hyuuga?"

Though he couldn't see Itachi's mouth, Naruto got the strangest impression he was smirking. "So this was what you wanted to talk about. You  _are_  blunt. That's good. After all, I don't have time to sit around chatting with you," Itachi mused absently. Then, louder, he said, "What makes you think I had something to do with that?"

"Don't play dumb," Naruto growled, his eye ticking in anger. Then, recalling what Tsunade had told him the other day about the case he had forgotten about, he continued, "Before he was murdered, Hizashi Hyuuga had been researching you Uchihas. It's not a coincidence that he died as soon as he found evidence about what you guys have been up to, or that the reported documents were nowhere to be found afterwards."

None of this seemed to bother Itachi at all. He seemed to take all of this information in stride, not even batting an eyelash at it. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear. To my knowledge, Hizashi Hyuuga found no such 'evidence'; not like you have described. And even if he did, what makes you think I would have been the only person to have wanted it? If a rumor like that had been spread, I'm sure many would have gone after Hyuuga-san for the supposed documents he possessed."

Naruto's glare intensified. "Don't think you can talk yourself out of this! Stuff centered around you has been going on for years; everyone knows that! We just… we just…"

"Can't prove it?" Itachi finished for him. "That would make any logical person assume there  _is_  nothing to prove. If you're just going to sit here and spout false accusations, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Since you managed to get Sasuke involved in your foolishness, I thought you had something of worth to talk to me about. However, if you don't then I won't waste any more of my time." Itachi stood up, clearly dismissing Naruto.

Naruto angrily lurched to his feet. He wasn't about to let this Itachi bastard just leave! "Hell no! Don't just sidestep my questions like that!" he exclaimed. "For the sake of the people involved, I want  _real_  answers, and I'm not about to leave until I get them! Tell me what really happened!"

Slowly, a dark smile made it's way onto Itachi's expression. "'Real' answers? I think you already have too many of those," he stated blandly.

Before Naruto could figure out what he meant by that, Itachi was suddenly right in front of him. Instinctually, the blond scrambled backwards, his heart racing from the shock. How had he…?

"It's hard to believe that you managed to make Sasuke tell you about everything, but he has always been a little emotionally weak."

Naruto could only stare dumbly as Itachi spoke.

Itachi's blank, disinterested expression was back. "You want your 'real' answers? Hyuuga-san was killed not because he found evidence of some silly, nefarious wrong my family had committed, but because he managed to find out about our curse; the very same information that you are now aware of, Naruto Uzumaki."

" _And finally, do not, under any circumstances, allow Itachi to figure out that you are aware of our curse."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Aaaaand that's a wrap!
> 
> Ah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It turns out I lied. (Again) The story isn't ending this chapter. Really, why do you guys still listen to me? I'm beginning to wonder if I'm a pathological liar.
> 
> Unfortunately, since there's still a lot I wasn't able to cover, I'm once putting off the ending. I just… I know exactly how I want this to end, and that ending wasn't going to happen without making this chapter ridiculously longer. I'm not going to say it will end in the next chapter—we all know by now how things turn out when I make promises like that—but, er… It should? I think. If I say it should, will that make the story drag on even longer? Ooh, I hope not.
> 
> Anyway, exactly a week ago it hit me that Naruto's birthday was coming up. At the time, I was only about 3,500 words in to writing this, but I told myself I wanted to get this chapter out for his birthday. So, I wrote and wrote and wrote and somehow… somehow… I was able to get it done, despite the fact that I also had two papers I needed to finish for my college classes. Don't ask me how I did it all. Huzzah for the power of determination! So, happy birthday, Naruto! *throws confetti*
> 
> Oh! Oh! Also, I'm participating in the Neo SasuNaru exchange on Livejournal, and I got a fabulous prompt. So wish me luck! I'm hoping to write an excellent oneshot for the person whose prompt I got, and hopefully I won't fail horribly. Because I really, really, really want to do my best for my first exchange! I'll be sure to post it here sometime after the exchange is over. =)
> 
> Okay, just one more thing. I swear. xD Speaking of fanfictions I'm writing, I just started work on a collaboration between myself and my beta, Chibi Chidori. It's called _A Series of Peculiar Events_ and should be up sometime very soon on FFN. Here's the summary:
> 
>  _Feeling lonely living by himself, Naruto buys a pet parrot for companionship. After a few peculiar events, he deems that the parrot is able to predict the future and begins to follow the bird's advice quite literally. Yaoi._
> 
> It's SasuNaru, and should be very cute and funny! For the first chapter, I wrote eight paragraphs (…Don't give me that look), and I'm already having a lot of fun! I wonder if you guys can guess which paragraphs were mine… (Hint: they were the ones that were written stupidly while the rest of the fic is filled with amazing)
> 
> It was an idea Chibi came up with, and I really love it. I can't wait to write more for it!
> 
> /end shameless self-promotion
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the long author's note… And thanks for reading!
> 
> ~Riuolo

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Alright! So, I wrote this for the SasuNaru kink meme on Livejournal. When I saw the prompt, the plot bunnies began relentlessly assaulting me. I had to write it. Here was the prompt, if you're curious:
> 
> "kink: Naruto, an undercover cop, attempts to seduce Sasuke Uchiha, the most powerful man in the underground business.
> 
> minor: a happy ending.
> 
> Naruto's team: Neji, Shikamaru, Tenten"
> 
> As you can tell, this prompt kind of spiraled out of control. ^^;; Yeah. I blame the aforementioned plot bunnies. Unfortunately, because this ended up being longer than I anticipated, it took about two months to write. Ahaha?
> 
> …
> 
> I blame college. ;-;
> 
> Regrettably, since this was a one-shot, there were a lot of loose ends I wasn't able to tie up. I'm really sorry... Honestly? I definitely could have kept adding on and writing more of this. But when I hit the 10,000 word mark, I knew I needed to start wrapping it up. If I didn't, it was going to turn into a full-fledged fanfiction. xD
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading until the end! I hope you enjoyed reading this!


End file.
